


Requiem

by sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gajevy - Freeform, jerza - Freeform, laxui, thunder legion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 48,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow/pseuds/sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow
Summary: All the past ever really seems good for is illuminating just how little we actually know about ourselves. Fate is a cruel thing, with no regard for anyone. No wonder it's so hard to just keep going. AU...ish (more actually separate Jellal and Siegrain and some surprises too).
Relationships: Bickslow/Lisanna Strauss, Cana Alberona/Mest Gryder | Doranbolt, Chelia Blendy/Wendy Marvell, Evergreen/Elfman Strauss, Freed Justine/Mirajane Strauss, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar/Hisui E. Fiore, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Siegrain/OC
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**_5 Years Previously_ **

Belno recalled the day she had been instated on the Magic Council by King Toma E. Fiore himself. She remembered it because it had also been the day her son had died. He had been sixteen years old, caught up in a skirmish with a dark guild, and the leader of that despicable group had slit his throat right in front of his mother and the royal family. His sister had been lucky to have been away at university and her fourteen year old adoptive son lucky to be on a quest (regardless of whether or not she approved) with his guild. Still...had it really been a full decade since then? Belno sighed, her eyes lingering over the photograph of her family that had been taken only a few months before. It was certainly bittersweet. She saw her daughter and son in law, her adopted son and his wife, her three grandchildren, and herself. It wasn't the family portrait she would have hoped for before her son had died. Yes, between the death of her husband and then their son's death seven years later, there was a lot of loss in the Norwich family.

_"Let him go," Belno had snapped at the heavily armed man who held an impossibly sharp knife at her son's throat. "Percival isn't —"_

_"He's our symbol," The man had sneered. "The boss made it pretty damn clear that —"_

_"Drop you weapons," Arcadios had stepped forward from where he had stood protecting the king, the twenty year old princess, and the twenty one year old prince. "Now."_

_The man had thrown back his head and laughed, still holding the knife against Percival Norwich'sthroat with one hand and keeping his hand over the boy's mouth with the other. The guards quickly ushered the prince and princess away to safety, but Toma did not move. He couldn't. He, as he was certain Arcadios and Belno both were, remembered this man from a few years before. He had killed her husband, wounded Arcadios, and only left Toma alive because he had no other way to escape if he didn't. Seeing him again now was nothing short of horrible. Toma felt the all-too-familiar guilt rise in his chest. Ryan Norwich had died to save him and no one — not even Arcadios — had been able to prevent it._

_"The boss said you'd be difficult," The man had gone on with a sickening grin. "He seemed certain that you'd put up a fight…so we're cutting out that. Fight us, and your son dies. Don't...and we'll talk."_

_"You are in no position to bargain," Arcadios had stepped towards the man, his face hardened in anger. "Let the boy go. He's done nothing wrong."_

_"We strongly disagree," The man had replied, flashing his arm to reveal his guild mark. Tartaros. A dark guild. "He was born into the wrong family if he wanted to live."_

_"Please," Belno could not hide the anger in her voice. "Let him go and maybe you won't spend the rest of your life in prison by the Magic Council."_

_The man had snorted. "Arrogant already? I thought you had to be one of them for years, not just instated to be so sure of your own power."_

_Belno had started towards him, using her magic to try and release him from around her son. Arcadios charged at him, ready to subdue him once Percival Norwich was free but that moment never came. The man sliced deep into Percival's throat and shot him once in the head for good measure the second Belno and Arcadios had moved on him. By the time the dust from her magic and his swords had cleared, the man had vanished and Percival Norwich was collapsed on the ground dead. Arcadios stared in horror, unmoving when Belno slowly fell to her knees, her hand lingering over her mouth in shock. Toma, a friend of hers for years, rushed to her side and let her cry into him. It was so rare she showed such emotions outright, but this was too horrible, too much for her to even try and hide. Toma could only begin to imagine what she felt. He had lost his wife to illness when their kids had been little — so little that Hisui couldn't remember her — but this was new._

_For a day that had been meant to be far more celebratory, it had turned out to be utterly tragic._

"Ten years…" Belno brushed her fingertips over the last picture of her son, who in it was triumphantly giving his sister a piggyback ride on her twentieth birthday. "I can't believe it's been that long…"

"Mommy? I found —"

Belno turned quickly on her heel to meet her thirty year old daughter's gaze but neither of them had a chance to say much of anything when a powerful force cut threw and destroyed the glass double doors out onto the balcony. A figure emerged from the black smoke that had flown in to destroy. When she saw their face, her heart sunk.

"Belno Norwich," The shadowy man who had appeared smirked, as if there were something funny about the situation. "I never imagined I would be given the opportunity to fight you."

"T-tartaros?" Her daughter trembled, suddenly looking far younger than thirty when she saw the guild mark on the man's arm. "You're here to —"

"I won't kill you, pretty girl," The man cackled, seeming rather pleased with himself. "Oh wait? You don't happen to be on the Magic Council yourself, do you?"

"Get out of here," Belno told her. She hesitated. "While you still can," Her mother quietly added.

She glanced between her mother and the man, itching to fight but begrudgingly did as she said. After all, it had been years since she had used her magic to fight anything, let alone someone who radiated magic this powerful. When her daughter disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the shadowy man alone with her mother, Belno temporarily breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't lose another child, not today.

"Quite bold if you," He gruffly remarked. "I would have expected more from someone like her."

"I am not going to let you take my daughter's life when it is mine you're after," Belno snapped. " _Alexander_."

He took a step back, glaring at her. He hadnt heard it in awhile. He wasn't shocked she knew his real name, but the fact she used it so blatantly enraged him.

"No one will protect you," He taunted. "Not this time around. You don't even have the will to fight me, do you?"

Belno didn't rise to his bait. He quickly lost all sense of humor as a result.

"Don't you remember what I did to your husband?" He sneered. "He was the leader of Hungry Wolf Knights and second only to Colonel Arcadios. Don't you remember how easily I killed him? He wasn't even trying, was he? All he cared about was stopping me from getting to Toma Fiore —"

Belno shot a powerful blast of light magic at him, knocking him to the ground and leaving him gasping for air. He stood up seething, his greasy black hair shaggily hanging over his eyes. He had never wanted to kill another person more. Magic erupted in the house just seconds later. Flashes of light cut through seeking darkness, ash, and knives. Belno knew full well why he was here. She was a member of the Magic Council, the only one of the previous Council except for Siegrain and Org to still be in the position after what had happened several years before with the Tower of Heaven. Belno was fully aware that she and Sieg had been lucky to get away when Era had been attacked, but she had known they would come for any survivors eventually. Of that she had been certain, especially after they had gone after Yajima and Michello. With every attack he sent her way, she evaded and countered the best she could. It was clear he was trying to be stealthy; nothing except the windows had been broken. He lunged at her, a dagger at the ready. Belno shielded herself and a flash of light followed just as her skirt snagged on a nail that had been ripped up in the confrontation. Then, there was nothing. The assassin looked around, but there was no mistaking it. She was gone. He had no idea how, but he glared at the bit of fabric from her skirt on the nail. He would track her down again. His anger taking over for just a moment, however, he grabbed a small bowl with keys in it and smashed it into the family portrait. Ivan was going to be pissed. That was for damn sure.


	2. Our Present

Gajeel had been thirteen when he had been brought before the Magic Council for the first time. How long ago had that been? Ten, fifteen years now? He honestly was not sure. So much had changed. Levy was now his wife. They had two kids, both of whom were toddlers and extremely hyper. They spent most of their time at the guild hall, both to finish reports and decide on jobs they could safely take their kids on. Two years had passed since the end of the war and things had been nothing if not routine. The same people they had always known still came and went. The Master still had his eccentricities and tendency to annoy the Magic Council, much to the amusement of Gajeel and Levy. Though their kids didn't know it yet, their parents had worked for the council several years back. Watching Lila and Casper wrestle like his wife had asked him to, Gajeel sighed. A lot was different. Everything was.

"Mommy!"

Lila and Casper temporarily paused their little sparring match to wave excitedly at their mother. Levy smiled as she stepped into the room, her arms laden with more books from the shop below their apartment. Gajeel laughed a bit, as amused as the day they had moved in that Levy had found a place that could support her love of books.

"Did ya rob a library, Small Fry?" Gajeel teased. Levy rolled her eyes and set down the books on the table.

"There's no point in robbing a library," Levy replied. "It's free to check out books, you know."

"Alright," Gajeel shrugged. "Did ya go downtown and rob the archives in the guild hall, Lev-Lev?"

Levy blushed when he used the affectionate nickname he had settled on early in their marriage. "Of course not!" She giggled a little, much to the amusement of their kids. "I just had to go buy more books downstairs, that's all!"

Gajeel let her kiss his cheek but slouched into the couch tiredly the second she slipped into their room for a moment. Glancing at the picture on the wall of all of them in the infamously rowdy guild hall, he could see all of the changes that had slowly begun since the end of the war. He thought one of the most notable was Jellal and Siegrain standing together, after years of despising each other. There was the Thunder Legion, too. Freed and Mirajane looked as proper and affectionate as ever, in stark contrast to Evergreen and Elfman, who looked ready to fight anyone. Gajeel was still a bit shocked by Bickslow and Lisanna being together, but he was just as stunned that Laxus of all people had married the then-princess. Gajeel thought it was strange every time he remembered Laxus and Hisui were the king and queen, let alone how they had started seeing each other in secret during the Grand Magic Games seven years before. Of course, just as strange to Gajeel, one could also note that Jellal was clearly keeping a protective eye on Erza and Wendy. His wife and daughter. Gajeel couldn't quite believe it, especially given the circumstances that had brought Wendy to their time. Levy always told him it was a good thing, that it had set Jellal on the right path, but Gajeel thought it was sad. Wendy couldn't remember her life, at least not much of it, and she must have lost a lot to have been brought into their time. Wouldn't that be traumatic?

"Daddy!" Casper suddenly began to tug in his father's overcloak, which scraped at the floor. "Look!"

Gajeel jumped upon seeing what his son was holding. "Casper!" He snapped. "Put that down! It's dangerous!"

Casper immediately dropped the large ruby, his eyes going wide in fear. Gajeel swooped down to pick it up. He remembered the day he'd gotten it from Jade, his adoptive sister who had spent her entire life, it seemed, trying to know as much as she could. _That's one of the most dangerous artifacts in the world_ , she had told them, using her magic to hold it up without touching it, _and I'm only trusting it to you and Levy because that's what mom would have wanted_. Gajeel bit his lip. Jade was Belno's only living biological child, and she was so much like the woman who had raised him that it was terrifying. He swallowed hard when he recalled the awful destruction they had witnessed in her home and how all they could find was a piece of fabric ripped from the skirt of her dress on a ripped up nail. They had never found her body, but what conclusion was there to come to other than that she had been assassinated just like Tártaros had been planning. Weighing the ruby in his hand, Gajeel tried to shake the awful memory. It was too much to bear for him, even now five years later.

* * *

Hisui tightly embraced Jade Norwich the second she stepped into the palace. A few feet behind them, Laxus smiled.

"Those heels aren't making you any taller," He joked. "You're still short, no matter what you try."

Jade briefly glanced to her stilettos and shrugged. "Heels or not, I'm always a bit taller than Hisui so I think I win."

Hisui giggled. "Jade!"

"It's not my fault you're 4'10"," Jade said while the three of them started down the hall. "Hopefully your kids will be taller because of Laxus."

Hisui blushed. "Lacey's only two, I really don't think —"

"Oh, come on, you don't have to hide," Jade lightly teased, putting her hands up in mock surrender. "I already know you're pregnant again. Laxus told me."

Hisui turned around quickly, almost falling over. When she straightened herself out, she scowled at her husband.

"I thought we agreed to wait to tell people!"

Laxus awkwardly glanced around. "Sorry?"

Hisui sighed. "Please don't tell me you told the entire guild."

"Apart from Ever, Bix, and Freed, no one else knows," Laxus cast a wary look to Jade. "Well, I'm going to assume Sieg does too."

"That would be a fair assumption," She replied, fidgeting with her glasses and her purple curls. "All things considered."

Hisui shook her head. "It's a good thing we love you."

"I'm a lovable person!" Jade exclaimed, if a bit unconvincingly. "Besides, you and I have been friends since we were eight years old!"

"And you were not what I expected when my wife introduced me to one of her oldest friends," Laxus smirked. "You're remarkably… well, let's just say I think you'd fit in fine at the guild hall."

Jade rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that. My mother told me almost too many stories about the things Fairy Tail did."

Hisui warily glanced to Laxus. "Don't tell me there are even wilder stories than the ones you've told me."

"Sadly, there are," Laxus looped an arm around her waist with a grin. "All of which prove Gramps has either lost his marbles, grown used to things being smashed and broken on a daily basis, or, my preferred theory, he's immortal and has _infinite_ patience for them because of it."

Jade quirked an eyebrow. "When do you think he came across these powers?"

Laxus shrugged. "Who knows? Its been like this since I was a kid."

Jade and Hisui shared a knowing look. Jade playfully swatted at Laxus' free arm, rolling her eyes all the while.

"You haven't changed a bit," Hisui couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't you punch my brother when we were kids?"

"Freed had it coming," Jade replied. "He kept getting too close to me."

She said this while walking backwards and, in the process, tripped into Freed. Laxus and Hisui tried not to laugh but it was just too funny not to. Freed caught Jade and brushed himself off the second they were both steady on their feet again.

"Jade Norwich," Freed shook his head. "You really are irony impaired, aren't you?"

The thirty-five year old mage sent him a dark look. "Maybe," She muttered.

"I'm glad you aren't running into my sister, all things considered," Freed noted. "I think we all know how protective Laxus has been of her since he found out she's pregnant."

Laxus scowled. "There's nothing wrong with being concerned for my wife."

Hisui sighed. "Laxus," She started, having heard them go back and forth for about a month now. "Everyone knows you're worried about me, that's not new."

Laxus turned a bit red. "Right," He murmured, turning slightly to softly kiss her. "Well, I've got you, Lacey, and our baby boy to worry about now."

Jade seemed thoroughly amused. "Are trying to do what Sieg did when I was pregnant with Lana Marie?" She chuckled at the memory. "He _desperately_ wanted a daughter, and I even tell her that I think he willed our little six year old into being a girl."

"It's not that," Hisui teasingly booped her husband's nose. "Laxus was convinced our first baby would be a boy so now he feels the need to be right."

"I do not feel the need to be right," Laxus rather unconvincingly protested. "And Toma hasn't let that go since Lacey was born, which, believe me —"

"I know," Hisui smiled. "You and my father have spent almost too much time arguing that point."

Jade cast a questioning look towards Freed but then they both gave up and exchanged shrugs. Freed, being the eldest, had always known his father was strange and swore it had been confirmed when he had rescinded his claim to the throne at seventeen so he could join Fairy Tail. Jade, given how much time she had spent with the growing up, simply knew the former king was eccentric.

"Oh, now there's no need to quibble about what to call my talks with your husband, my sweet Hisui."

Hisui and Laxus both startled a little upon Toma joining them. Freed smirked at Jade, who in turn mouthed the words _I told you so_ the second Toma wasn't looking at her.

"I'll give you thirty jewels if you put on a pumpkin head," Jade said to Freed, much to the amusement of Laxus and Hisui. "Come on, we're losing daylight."

"Good to see you as always, Jade," Toma chortled, slipping into his "Mato" voice. "That is, _pumpkin_."

Jade merely winked and pushed up her glasses. Of all the things that hadn't changed in the past five years, this was perhaps the most reassuring. If she had known then the peace and levity were not to last, however, she — and them, her closest friends — would not have been so relaxed.


	3. Within the Kingdom of Fiore

"I don't understand," Erza stared at her brother in law in confusion. "Sieg, honestly, how do criminals like that manage to escape prison? It...it shouldn't be possible."

" _Shouldn't_ ," Siegrain bitterly agreed. "That doesn't make it impossible. And, to answer your question, we aren't sure."

Jellal raised an eyebrow, vaguely amused by the thought of the Magic Council being uncertain about anything.

"What do you think, Jade?" He asked, turning to his purple-haired sister in law.

"I think I'm a writer and artist that's not qualified to judge what a piece of shit like Ivan Dreyar is capable of," Jade sighed, casting an exasperated look towards her husband. "Why did I have to come?"

Siegrain raised an eyebrow. "M'dear, I believe you were the one who got in the car even after I asked why you weren't working on the commission for Lord Briarson."

Jade frowned, for a second very much resembling her mother. "Damn it…" She muttered, pulling out her communications lacrima and calling Wendy, whom she had left with their daughter.

"So, what exactly are we going to do about this?" Erza pressed, her eyes narrowing on the news article splayed out on his desk. "I don't get the feeling Ivan of all people breached prison just so he could go get a tan on the beach or go to a casino."

Jade looked up and recoiled at the thought.

"Just a second, Wendy," She said, eyeing Erza uncomfortably. "Please don't say anything like that again. I really didn't need the imagery."

"Agreed," Siegrain shared a knowing look with his wife; this was common place for them, as they often communicated with precise words and without touch. He also happened to be the only person allowed to call her by her full name since her mother's death. "Truth be told, I would prefer not to see him shirtless."

Erza scoffed. "You're a prude."

"He always has been," Jellal said, crossing his arms. "It's one of the things Sieg and I have never agreed upon."

Siegrain shook his head. "Our clashes have nothing to do with this."

"I'm telling Laxus and Hisui," Jade mildly put in, although Siegrain was completely unsurprised. Erza glared, and Jellal looked very much discontent with the idea. "What?" Jade pursed her lips, trying not to sound annoyed. "I'm not keeping something like that from them!"

"Laxus will be _pissed_!" Erza reminded her. "I don't know about you, but I doubt that will do us any good!"

"Jade, this is classified information, and you already don't have clearance. You only have status because of who..."

Siegrain trailed off, toeing the line of both agreeing with his wife (which he genuinely did, knowing Laxus and Hisui well) and keeping the law in mind. He only mentioned the simple fact because he knew it would make her think. She had, after all, grown up in home where she and her siblings had to know what to repeat and what not to. Classified information had been almost normal for them. Still, he couldn't quite bring himself to finish his thought. Her mother's death five years before had taken a deep toll on her, and just the mention of it had set her off before.

"I don't care," Jade said, standing up and lightly pecking his cheek. "I'm going to do it anyways. They deserve to know."

Erza swore under her breath when her sister in law left. Having herself only been a member of the Magic Council for two years, she found it difficult to manage all of the others and her family. The council now stood since the end of the war and the king's reformation of it, in order of rank, as Siegrain the chair of the council, Kagura the second, Erza the third, Mest the fourth, Lyon the fifth, Sting the sixth, Meredy the seventh (her name and Jellal's had been cleared after the war), and Evergreen the eighth. The ninth seat had yet to be filled, although no one could blame Laxus and Hisui for taking the process slow following the death of its previous holder the year prior. Toma had reformed the council as it was now as his last act as king, after all, and the whole kingdom had been shocked by his picks.

"What the hell is he planning?" Erza tapped her finger against her chin in thought. She liked none of them. "Honestly...what could he ave to gain here?"

* * *

Levy scooped up Lila the second she and Gajeel stepped into the guild hall with the kids. Mirajane immediately found them and, dragging Freed with her, excitedly came over to hug (mainly) Levy. Casper perked up upon seeing them and tried to run off towards the bar where Cana, Bix, and Lisanna were. He didn't get very far before Gajeel grabbed his arm and gently tugged him back.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Mira smiled, waving at Lila, who giggled. "You might have picked the wrong time to drop in, though."

Levy glanced to Freed. "Everyone has their clothes on, right?"

Freed nodded as politely as ever. "For now, of course," He honestly replied. "With Gray around, one can never be certain what will happen."

Mirajane shuddered at the thought. "That's some horrifying imagery."

"Agreed," Levy said, warily looking around to try and see if Gray were there with his teammates. "We've seen it too many times."

Gajeel chortled. "You mean when he and the Salamander are in the same room? It's too bad Erza doesn't come by her much anymore to beat the shit out of them!"

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed, her cheeks and the tips of her ears turning pink. "Please, not in front of the kids!"

Gajeel responded by giving her a squeeze. Mira grinned and shared a look with Freed that suggested she wanted him to be that affectionate with her. He took her hand. It was a subtle sign just between them that he would ensure they had time alone later. Freed was cool and restrained by nature, but he was nothing if not gentle and attentive to his wife. Mira knew, of course, that much of it was because of his upbringing in the royal house. Freed had spent most his life as the heir apparent and, until he had finally come up with the courage to tell his father he wanted to rescind his claim to the throne, he had been taught to be nothing but highly restrained. Mira remembered how he had been when he had first come to Fairy Tail and how he had revered Laxus. She was glad he had grown much more in touch with his emotions since then. She thought something similar of Gajeel and how he had opened up after leaving Phantom Lord. It had taken a long time, but Mira still smiled at the thought of how she had finally convinced Levy to keep trying with him. Yes, their relationship had been rocky for a very long time but, as things had slowly changed, they had grown close. He'd even saved her life. Mira thought it was funny, looking back, that when things had changed for them it had changed for her and Freed too.

"I'll take the kids," Mira said, smiling when both Lila and Casper's faces lit up and they grabbed her hands upon their parents setting them down. "You two enjoy looking over job requests. Freed and I can take care of them for a little while."

Gajeel smirked and rested his arm on Levy's head once the kids were gone. She giggled, knowing that she was the only person he was willing to lean on for support without being embarrassed.

"You wanna see what's open right now, Small Fry?" Gajeel teased. "Or do ya wanna get a drink with Cana and co first?"

Levy reached up and grabbed his hand. "We do need money, Gajeel. We do have two kids."

He shrugged. "True," He said. "Let's go see what's available. After all, we can't let you run out of reading material."

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed, setting her hands to her hips while they made their way over to the jobs request board. "Don't tease me like that! Books are our most inexhaustible source of knowledge, of —"

"I know, I know," He said, putting his hands up. "Whatcha day about a translation job in Crocus, Lev?"

Levy kissed him and smiled. "I say heck yes!"

* * *

It had been five years since she had last seen Era. Five years since the man who had taken everything from her and her family had nearly killed her. Five years since she had been home. To be walking through the streets of downtown Era now was almost too much for her to believe. She paused in the wealthiest section of the town, just before the wrought iron gates and winding path up to the offices of the Magic Council. It had been ages since she had last been here. They wouldn't recognize her, she imagined. While she looked very much the same, her dark blonde hair was greyer than usual and her clothes far more practical and dusty. Her black, fur trimmed cloak was torn in some places at the ends, which scraped the ground and fluttered a bit behind her if there were a breeze. She wore a dark purple, fitted blouse and black dress pants with matching leather shoes. Her hair, mostly concealed under the hood of her cloak, was pinned up in its usual style. Nevertheless, there was something eerie about being here now. She was sure that it had to do with what had happened the day Tartaros decided to attack a council meeting. That day sent freezing cold chills down her spine like rainwater, and she didn't much like it. For now, however, she tried to set that aside.

This traveler, she, was well aware that there were plenty of people that would be interested in her and her whereabouts if they had the faintest clue who she was. For obvious reasons, she had avoided passing through Crocus on the way back into Fiore. It really had been too long, but there really wasn't much of a way to easily go between the kingdom and the archipelagos to the east where she had been hiding. Tartaros had only been the beginning. Things were much worse than they appeared in this peaceful era following the end of the war between Fiore and Dragnorf. She couldn't blame anyone for it, of course, well aware that the things she had learned had only been because of the unusual circumstances she had found herself in. If that hadn't been the case, she imagined her life would still be very much the same as it had been. Yet with speculation set aside, she had quite a bit she hoped the Magic Council and the king and queen knew. The eastern archipelagos had quite a bit of disdain for the kingdom of Fiore, and they were sympathetic to whatever remnants remained of the brief, pro-revolutionary movement that had begun during the war. They also wanted to destroy something in the possession of the Fairy Tail Guild, but she had never been able to determine what.

 _Damn_ the Fairy Tail Guild for its secrecy.

She knew that wasn't much of a fair assessment, but she had been worried by that in particular since Ivan Dreyar had been arrested by the Magic Council's Rune Knights years before during the Grand Magic Games. She thought back with a frown. Ivan had not said much, nor had his co-conspirators, but what he had said had been concerning. He had claimed Fairy Tail had enough magic energy and power in their possession to keep a person alive under ice for nearly a century, and quite possibly longer. That thought in and of itself was absolutely horrifying. Ivan had compared it to Etherion. She doubted that claim but not the danger that had lain behind it. Ivan had always been a despicable, manipulative man that had sought to always be the one who revelled in everything even when he played absolutely no part in actually accomplishing the things he forced the members of his dark guild to do. She also knew he had it in for the royal family and the Magic Council. He had even said as much. No, the things that had fallen into place since she had returned to Fiore again were anything but unconcering. Once again, it seemed —

"I…" A purple haired, bespectacled woman slipped her communications lacrima into her jacket pocket in surprise. The traveler recognised her immediately and slowly pulled down her hood. Her daughter's eyes welled with tears and she stared at her for a long time. Then, she suddenly embraced her tightly. "I...I thought…"

"Jade," Her mother said, letting her go after a long time. "I'm so sorry for what happened. I hope you've been okay."

"I think I am," She clutched her purse, trying not to start sobbing. "It's really you, mommy, I can't…"

Belno let her daughter embrace her again and start to cry more. She could hardly believe it herself, and she had been waiting for this day since she had disappeared.

"I'm still alive, Jade," She quietly reminded her, lightly patting her daughter's back. "I wish I hadn't need to leave. Are Siegrain and Lana alright? And what about Gajeel —"

"They're fine," Jade choked out. "We all are...I just...where did you…"

"A conversation for a different time," Belno told her, worriedly glancing at the sky which had started to turn a menacing dark grey. "For now, we should probably get inside. We...have a lot to catch up on."

Jade nodded weakly. "Yes," She agreed. "Yes, we do."

Belno paused for a moment, her fingers curling around her daughter's hair. "You dyed your hair?" She stared at her in surprise. "When?"

Jade blinked back tears. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I know you are," Belno whispered. "I am too."


	4. When the Bubble Pops

Jade Norwich-Fernandes was no stranger to crashing things she wasn't supposed to be in. At sixteen, she had crashed a party and borrowed a bikini from one of the other girls present. By nineteen, she had already run away from cops for trespassing onto construction zones in the hottest part of the day to take film photographs while no one was actively working. Well into her twenties, she had crashed a few weddings for the free (for her) food and, until she had married Siegrain after finishing her master's studies in her mid twenties, she had almost exclusively used public WiFi (though she picked off her neighbors' in the apartment building too). Now, as a thirty five year old woman, she felt that she had only gotten better at it over the years. She had led her mother through the halls of Era, with led being a relative term given that she seemed to be on a bit of a power trip. Jade had the feeling her mother wouldn't be happy when she realised what she was doing but, for now, she didn't particularly care. Part of her was (albeit childishly) downright giddy. Pulsing her magic energy into her heels, Jade used her magic to kick open the doors to the low-lit meeting room of the Magic Council. Everyone immediately turned, prepared for the worst, but it wasn't needed.

"Jade…" Meredy smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead in exasperation. "I don't even want to know what's going on here, but —"

"But?" Lyon sent her a befuddled look. "She can't be here! She doesn't have clearance and, frankly —"

"You've got nerves of steel," Kagura remarked, smirking at Siegrain. "How much you wanna bet she's —"

"Enough," Siegrain snapped, shaking his head. "Jade," He started. "What is so important you decide to break into a Council meeting?"

"Jade!" Belno stepped out from behind the half shut left door, sending her daughter a pointed look. "You said —"

"I lied, sorry," She sheepishly glanced back to her husband, adjusting her glasses. "I hope you have your answer."

The entire Magic Council stared, absolutely shocked to see the woman now standing beside Jade.

"Good God," Mest breathed, his eyes wide. He and Lahar had worked for Belno themselves, albeit years prior. "And we all thought…"

"Elder Belno," Erza said calmly. "I had no idea you —"

"Did Jade bring a ghost to —" Sting began.

"How did you —" Evergreen cut across.

Siegrain put up a hand to silence all of them. His eyes flitted between his wife and his mother in law. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Based on how his wife carried herself, he was sure she was just as stunned. They hadn't even thought something like this possible.

"Allow me to explain," Belno said shortly, casting a wary look towards her daughter.

"I think it's clear already," Siegrain said, frowning. "Dear God, I can't believe you're alive. It's wonderful news, yes, however, Jade, really you can't —"

Jade rolled her eyes. "You already know how I handle things," She said with a shrug. "I ask forgiveness not permission. It's easier."

Erza snorted. "I think you have a lot of explaining to do this time."

"For her faults, it is not Jade who has anything to explain here," Belno cast a sharp look at her daughter, who smiled uncomfortably. "That particular burden falls to me."

"This isn't the time for that," Siegrain said quickly. Kagura rolled her eyes, thinking that to be obvious. "Please, allow us to finish our meeting and then we can discuss. You both can wait in my office."

Jade glanced around nervously, but she was glad her "streak" was unbroken even if she knew what she'd done wasn't thought out.

* * *

Laxus hated sitting through meetings to begin with, but he absolutely loathed the one he found himself currently in. He tried to mask his annoyance, and every so often he squeezed his wife's hand under the table to remind himself (and her) that he was still there. Their advisors had brought forth their positions on the members of the Magic Council, but it was clear they were all pushing for the king and queen to determine whom it would be that would fill the empty seat. Truthfully, Laxus and Hisui had set the matter aside, not viewing it as particularly urgent. They knew, of course, that they couldn't avoid it forever but the longer they could the better. They still hadn't gotten to the bottom of the profiles of the top picks (not for a lack of trying) and the kingdom had bigger concerns than who was on the Magic Council. The first thing that came to mind were the security concerns regarding the annual Grand Magic Games, which were thankfully still months away. More personally, he was concerned about his wife and their kids. Lacey was as hyper a child could be, which was its own stress some days, and, with Hisui pregnant again, he wanted to ensure she and the baby were okay too. Hearing about the Magic Council again only irritated him.

"Alright, with all due respect, I don't think this is the time to be fixated on things this trivial," Laxus finally snapped from exhaustion and, evidently, Hisui had too because she didn't stop him. "Is there anything else we should know about before we stop for tonight?"

Unintelligible murmurs sprung up from their advisors, all of whom seemed to be anything from irritated to nervous.

"Ivan Dreyar escaped from prison yesterday afternoon," One of them finally said. "We do not know how or why, but, your majesty, your father is at large once again."

Hisui looked sick at the thought. "And you all waited to tell us this?" She said, shaking a little as she reached for her husband's hand.

"It seemed best to assess the situation a little more before we said anything. Dreyar is capable of —"

"We know full well what my father's capable of," Laxus said darkly.

He didn't say more. He didn't need to. A few seconds passed in tears silence before, slowly, the room started to clear. Soon, only Arcadios and the king and queen themselves remained. The White Knight stood silently by the doors, prepared to defend them if need be. Laxus steadied Hisui in his arms when they stood up, feeling her trembling. With them essentially alone, her composure had finally slipped. That was all the more true when it occurred to her that the news of Ivan's escape had likely been what Jade had alluded to when they had briefly spoken earlier, and she only hoped that Ivan's escape had nothing to do with why she had suddenly cut the conversation short.

"We'll be okay, 'Sui," Laxus told her, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "Even if he's after us —"

Laxus couldn't bring himself to go on when he saw the fear in her eyes. Instead, he pulled her in close and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Hisui all but buried herself in his arms.

"What are we going to tell Lacey?" Hisui whispered. "If something happens, we can't —"

"We'll figure that out if we need to," Laxus murmured, cupping her cheek. "For now, Lacey's okay."

Hisui sighed heavily, her head spinning. It was a lot to take in, and neither of them had anticipated something to this caliber ever happening. Ivan had always been evasive, but no one had thought him capable of escaping prison.

"Nothing is going to happen to her, or you, or the baby," Laxus said, gently kissing her again. "I promise, 'Sui. I'll keep you safe."

"I know you will," Hisui tiredly replied. "You always have."

* * *

To little surprise, the oldest bookshop in Crocus was also the most cramped. It wasn't for a lack of space per se, although it did seem that an endless archive of books and scrolls and papers seemed to be protruding out of every nook and cranny. Gajeel had never questioned his wife's love of books more. Levy was climbing up and down ladders, scouring for any books she thought would be useful for their job and, admittedly, anything that looked interesting. Apart from the shop keep and themselves (Lila and Casper were restrained by their father), only one other person — a hooded, masked man — was in the store. Gajeel watched the man examine some of the baubles littered around the shop. He was weighing the glowing jewels in his hands, examining but not touching a necklace marked as cursed. It seemed to be a tad unusual, but Gajeel reminded himself that he had seen far weirder.

"Find what you're looking for, Levy?" Gajeel called up to her. "We have an actual job to do, remember?"

Levy hopped down from the ladder with a smile and her arms laden with books. Their kids started laughing.

"I know! And, yes, I found them!" She told him excitedly. "And then some too!"

The shop keep raised an eyebrow when she set down the stack next to the register and pulled out her purse. He caught sight of the Fairy Tail Guild marks on them and sighed. Of course they were from Fairy Tail. Mages were only that strange, he believed, if they were members of the most infamous guild in Fiore. The masked man glanced over to them too, and his eyes narrowed upon seeing their guild marks. Gajeel frowned, keeping a tighter hold on their kids. This man seemed unpleasant at best, and he didn't want to risk a (probably) destructive fight when they had taken this job specifically to avoid confrontation. Since their marriage, Gajeel and Levy had been brought before the Magic Council twice to explain themselves (the first for destroying a bar in a tousle with some drunkards on their honeymoon, the second for destroying an oil rig with the Salamander on a job) and they had no desire to have it happen a third time. The first two had been bad enough.

"Fairy Tail, eh?" The shop keep said mildly. "If I may, what are two Fairy Tail mages doing in Crocus?"

"Translation," Levy perkily replied. "We're picking these up before we meet with the client. We have plenty of background, but we want to make sure we —"

Gajeel tapped her ankle with his foot to stop her from rambling. The last thing he wanted was for them to draw attention to themselves. He was already pretty unsettled by the way the masked man kept looking their way, and he didn't want to give him any information about who they were. Just as much, he didn't want them to find out what they were doing. Levy had swiftly lied a little about the nature of their job, however, a fact for which he was grateful. They had found out when they had arrived in Crocus that their client had a very good reason to not provide their name on the request although it would have mitigated the shock when the former king had met them in their hotel suite. In retrospect, it explained why they had needed to provide such specific location and contact information but Gajeel still couldn't believe Toma E. Fiore was their client. Even stranger was the job itself, involving records in the royal family's possession that had never been truly examined. It was a strange job, to say the least.

"Good luck to you," The shop keep said, handing the books over to them. Levy smiled and passed him a few extra jewels than necessary.

"I'll take this," The masked man grunted as they left. Gajeel and Levy paused, but he knew the man was referring to the necklace. He had heard the tell-tale shifting of metal and jewels. Then, came an almost inaudible muttering that stunned him: "Let's see how this will look on the queen."


	5. The Smoke Before the Fire

Before Siegrain Fernandes could step into his office in Era, his wife slipped out and all but pressed him against the wall, looking extremely nervous. She pulled away after a few seconds, but it was nevertheless clear that Jade was on tenterhooks. Siegrain sighed, eyeing her for a moment and then shaking his head. He knew her all too well, and was sure that she thought he was angry with her. He supposed he had been shocked, but he couldn't call it anger or even annoyance. Given what happened, he was more concerned for her than anything else.

" _Cariad_ ," He murmured, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "I'm not upset about what happened earlier. If you're worried about me, then you shouldn't be."

Jade smiled. "It's a good thing my schemes work, isn't it?"

Siegrain laughed. "You have always been a schemer, even when we were young. Didn't you teach Hisui how to eavesdrop?"

Jade winked and tapped her glasses. "I happened to get rather good at, you know."

Siegrain sighed, gently kissing her and then letting her go. To his surprise, Jade immediately took his hand.

"You really are nervous," Siegrain noticed, his eyes briefly widening just before stepping back into the room with her.

Belno, who had been looking at some of the odds and ends he kept there, immediately turned towards him and her daughter. He stared at her for a long time, almost as if he were worried she'd disappear, and then motioned for her to sit down on one of the small couches across from him and his wife. A heavy silence hung over them, and Jade kept fidgeting with her wedding ring, even more nervous than before.

"I'm not quite sure what I want to ask you, Belno," Siegrain eventually said. "Other than what happened, that is, although…"

"I think we all know how it started," She shortly replied. Jade flinched at the memory.

"Tartaros," Jade said quietly.

"Yes," Belno sighed heavily, feeling incredibly weary. "After the assassination attempt, I left the kingdom thinking that I would be able to return in a few months once things settled down. When war ultimately broke out towards the end X792, I found myself trapped in Brigid, an eastern archipelago that marks the end of the continent."

Jade bit her lip. "And that's where you were trapped?"

Belno nodded. "I couldn't make my way back into Fiore during all-out war and, even after it ended, it was difficult to return...especially given the Dreyar situation."

"The Dreyar…" Jade stared at her mother for a second in horror. "You mean Ivan?"

"I'm afraid so," Belno glanced between her daughter and Siegrain for a brief moment. "I heard he recently escaped prison. Evidently he and his followers are prepared. I will assume the two of you are already aware that he has it in for the royal family and the Magic Council."

Siegrain frowned. "Regrettably, yes," He said.

"Hisui and Laxus…" Jade trailed off, horrified by the thought of what Ivan could possibly want to do to her two closest friends. "Ivan wouldn't...if he knew she's pregnant —"

Belno paled. "Hisui and Laxus are expecting?"

"Their second child, yes," Jade began to reach for her communications lacrima but Siegrain stopped her, gently resting his hand over hers. "Sieg, you can't possibly think —"

"They're safe right now," He murmured. "We go home to Crocus tomorrow, and we can tell them what we know then. Besides…"

"I agree with Sieg," Belno put in. Jade glanced to her mother worriedly. "And… there's more to tell."

"I'm sure there is," Siegrain said, standing up. "But that can wait an hour or two. You must be exhausted, and I'm sure you'd like some time to relax...let's rest...for just a little."

* * *

Levy couldn't stop pacing, looking more and more anxious by the second. Gajeel stood at the other end of the room, keeping an eye on the kids, who were napping although he was sure they would wake up soon. It had been mere hours since they had heard the strange, masked man's remark and they were both deeply unsettled by it. Even worse, Toma would be in their suite soon enough with some of the initial records he had pulled for them, and neither Gajeel nor Levy were looking forward to warning him about what they'd heard. The necklace the man had bought was cursed and probably with something nasty. If he wanted to see how it would look on Hisui, then the chances were high this was an assassination attempt underfoot. Levy hated the thought just as much as Gajeel, and they both knew that the former king wouldn't take the news well. Neither of them could blame him. The last few years had been difficult enough for the royal family, and for things to shift again to the worst would be hard to swallow. Hearing the knock at the door, Levy stood up, quickly pulled it open, and let Toma in. It didn't take very long to bring the former king up to date on what they had already managed to translate. It was harder, however, as they kept trying to stall.

"This may very well be one of the most fascinating records I've ever seen," Toma mused, brushing his fingers lightly over the edges of the unrolled scroll. "I don't think I've seen a lunar calendar on the edges of a document in years."

"It is a fairly uncommon sight these days," Levy agreed, nervously shaking out her hair with her hands. "Most people use instant data trackers via lacrimas."

Toma chuckled. "Some days I can't even fathom how far we've come. Exploring this history seems only to amplify that sentiment, I'm afraid."

Levy smiled. "We'll keep working through the documents and we'll get them back to you as soon as we can."

"You two have only been in town a little while," Toma waved his hand dismissively. "I thought it would take much longer for the two of you to be able to start. Truthfully, I'm impressed."

Gajeel nodded curtly, his arms crossed. He gave Levy a pointed look, one that she wasn't too fond of but understood nonetheless. She was probably a better bearer of bad news than he was anyways.

"Your majesty, sir," Levy said, breaking into the silence. "There's something rather disturbing you must know about."

Toma's brow furrowed in confusion. "What might that be?" He asked, nerves beginning to crawl from the core of his being.

Gajeel sighed, sensing that Levy didn't have the heart to say it. "We think Ivan might try to hurt Hisui now he's escaped prison," He said shortly. "A masked freak in the bookshop earlier today bought a cursed necklace and expressed the desire to see how it would look on the queen."

Toma paled, feeling sick to his stomach. More than enough people had tried to hurt his daughter and her family, and hearing anything of the sort always sickened him. From the looks on their faces, Toma was certain Gajeel and Levy were as worried by what had happened as he was.

"It could be nothing, of course," Levy said quickly. "We didn't speak with the man nor get a good look at him, and —"

"Substance or not, thank you for telling me," Toma sighed heavily, trying to stop his voice from shaking. "I...I'll make sure Laxus and Hisui are kept safe. If something were to happen then I…"

Levy bit her lip. "I'm sure it's different for you," She said quietly. "But, as a parent, I understand."

Toma nodded. "Fundamentally, being a parent is always the same."

Gajeel swallowed hard, thinking of his adoptive mother. Guilt panged his chest again, and he couldn't brush it off. He wanted to cry, but forced himself not to. He didn't want to wake his kids, and he didn't want to cry in front of the former king. Just as much, he didn't want Levy to know how much he was hurting in the moment. It would go away, he told himself, as the pain always does.

"Yeah, it is," Gajeel agreed. "Do you need ya for anything else right now?"

Toma hesitated. "I would like to discuss the contents of theses scrolls with the both of you," He said. "Provided you gave anything else to add right now."

"Of course," Levy said, reaching for her reading glasses and a scroll. "And...I'm sorry about what he had to tell you."

"Don't apologise for that," Toma shook his head dejectedly. "Truth be told, I would rather now what to fear now than learn to fear it too late."

"Wise," Gajeel mildly noted.

He said nothing until much later that night of how — between their talk and Toma's words — haunted he felt. He had been haunted by that day for five years now, and he scantly discussed it because what use would it be? Gajeel shook himself out, mainly watching his wife explain and occasionally interjecting himself. He needed a distraction but they had work to do and their kids, though under most other circumstances it would be nothing short of a major miracle, were fast asleep.

* * *

"I can't believe she's still alive," Mest remarked late that night, watching Cana dry off her hair. "It's a good thing, but it's…"

"Unexpected?" Cana suggested.

Mest nodded. "Very. She seemed rather shaken, from what I could tell, although maybe that's unsurprising. She's been through a lot, I imagine, these last five years."

"It could be a Tenrou situation," Cana said, twisting her hair in her hands. "We didn't even know seven years had passed on that damn island."

Mest considered that. "True," He agreed. "But it seems far more likely that she would have been in a much more dire situation than that. Tartaros did try and assassinate her and the war with Dragnorf only ended a few years ago. Don't you think that could have had something to do with what happened?"

"It could," Cana admitted. "Although it's probably not worth speculating. We'll all find out what happened soon enough."

Mest frowned, looking a little bitter. "All of us on the council today either lost people they cared about that day or came too damn close. I don't understand why Siegrain isn't handling this the normal way."

"She's his mother in law," Cana reminded him. "I know it's not the typical procedure but wouldn't you do the same thing?"

"Perhaps in their position," Mest muttered. "I guess you're right that we'll hear it soon enough...and, admittedly, I probably shouldn't hold it against Siegrain and Jade just because they —"

"Get to hear what happened first?" Cana surmised.

Mest laughed and playfully swatted at her arm. More often than not, when they were alone, they couldn't take anything seriously.

"You take the words out of my mouth, don't you?" He joked. "You better not be using your cards to cheat, Cana."

Cana rolled her eyes. "Card magic doesn't work that way, Mest, you should know that having been married to me for two years."

He pecked her cheek with a smirk. "Oh, Cana, you don't know how to joke around, do you?"

"Hmm?" Cana raised an eyebrow, matching his smirk. "You wanna raise the issue with my father?"

Mest shuddered at the thought and then scowled, realising that she had turned the tables on him.

"Gildarts would kill me if he knew half the things I've done with you," Mest looked briefly terrified of the notion. "Especially if the stories you've told me about him — including the one about Bacchus stealing your bra after a drinking game — are true."

Cana winked. "Oh, believe me, they are. He overcompensates sometimes for my childhood. You know, it's sweet when you think about it."

"Sweet or not, I'd rather not have to arrest my father in law," Mest replied, shedding his cloak and hanging it up on their bathroom door. "To be frank, Gildarts frightens me."

Cana laughed. "You're not getting sympathy from me. That's hilarious."

"Reassuring," Mest shook his head. "I'll do what I have been from the start...staying out of his way and not letting on how many destruction complaints the Magic Council has gotten about you two when you take missions with him. Also," Mest sent her a pointed look through the mirror. "It was _not_ funny when you and your father drank a bar in Crocus dry, claimed it _falsely_ as business expenses, and then sent the bill to the Council."

Cana turned around and pulled herself up onto the sink precociously.

"That wasn't the first time I've done that," She said innocently. "I just thought the third time would be the charm."

Mest sighed. "I don't know what I'd do with you if we weren't married, Cana, I honestly don't."

"Good thing we're married then," She teased.

Mest matched her self-satisfied look. "Yes, yes it is."


	6. Unleashed

“Well then. One horror after another. Lovely way to start the week, don’t you agree?”

Erza sent Mest a dark look. “I don’t think anyone is disputing the situation, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t --”

“Erza, please,” Siegrain said, frowning and sounding absolutely exhausted. “We don’t have time for this.”

“That’s an understatement,” Evergreen dryly remarked. “Now. Who wants to give Ivan Dreyar a good --”

“Hard to do anything to him if we don’t know where he is,” Lyon countered with an air of superiority. “I’m sure there are plenty of people -- from any of us to God knows how many others to even the king and queen themselves -- who want to put him in his place but that’s not feasible at the moment. Frankly, concerned as we ought to be about him, I think we’d be more prudent to focus on the absolutely harrowing story we heard from Madame Norwich this morning.”

Siegrain sighed. “Admittedly, you are probably right.”

“Probably?” Kagura shook her head. “Did you not hear the same thing we did? What she described was absolutely horrifying. God, I can’t even imagine it.”

“It was horrible,” Meredy agreed. “She’s more than a bit lucky to be alive. Any number of things could have gone to hell, not to mention during the war.”

“And Brigid is not exactly the most….hospitable place,” Sting paused for a moment in thought and then shook his head. “It’s a miracle. Regardless of what happened with Tartaros, the fact that --”

“We know,” Siegrain cut across him. “That’s not the concern here. The substance of this lies in the way it was orchestrated by the Empire and Dreyar. The two matters are intertwined, and, to be clear, there is absolutely no way for us to get around that. I’ll remind you as well of what Fairy Tail submitted to this council over the weekend too.”

“That was deeply….troubling, to say the least,” Kagura crossed her arms, a hint of irritation in her voice. “I swear, some people will stop at absolutely nothing to gain access to and use forbidden magic. Couldn’t say why, though. Leaves me to wonder…”

“It sounded almost as if the Redfoxes crossed paths with Ivan Dreyar,” Erza mildly put in. “I wouldn’t be shocked, at any rate, and, honestly, there aren’t a lot of other plausible explanations for someone attempting to curse the queen.”

“That’s not true,” Sting countered. “Any number of people would want to hurt the Fiore-Dreyar family other than Ivan. Hell, we probably even know some of those psychos.”

“Comforting,” Erza muttered.

“Did Laxus and Hisui hear about this yet?” Evergreen pressed, eyeing Siegrain critically.

“Not to my knowledge,” He said shortly. “But my wife may very well have told them. She and Hisui have been close since they were children. I can’t imagine her keeping anything from them. To air on the side of caution, I won’t assume they know but the chances are they do and, if they don’t, they will soon.”

Evergreen chewed at the inside of her cheek. “Fair enough,” She conceded. “I hope he won’t be too worried. It was bad enough when he found out Ivan had gotten out of prison.”

“I’m well aware,” Siegrain irritably replied.

An uncomfortable, tense silence befell them. Evergreen and Siegrain thoroughly scowled at each other for what felt like quite a while. Erza watched all of them, taking in every movement and whispering. Meredy twisted her hair in her hands, anxiety building in her. Mest and Lyon shared a knowing look, one that suggested they had expected things to be worse. Kagura was the only one who seemed mildly disappointed; it had been too long since there had been any real fights, and part of her was itching for one. Sting closed his eyes in pensive thought, well aware that it could be awhile before any of them admitted defeat.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what we ought to do,” Meredy quietly broke the silence. “But, please, let’s be careful. Enough people could get hurt by this as it is.”

“We’re already looking down a loaded gun, Meredy,” Evergreen darkly reminded her. “I doubt any of us have much of a desire to test our luck.”

* * *

“Laxus, listen to me,” Jade stepped in front of him, crossing her arms. “I know you’re worried about this, but it’s probably not the best idea to go downtown looking for a fight.

It might not even be Ivan, for all we know.”

He sighed. “I’m not taking the risk. If --”

“Does Hisui know?”

Laxus startled for a second at her pointed question, which said it all. Jade sighed and nervously reached to fidget with her glasses.

“‘Sui has been in meetings all day,” Laxus told her. “And you and I both know she isn’t feeling well.”

“Right,” Jade said dryly. “Because she’d feel infinitely better if you, say, got in a confrontation with your father and ended up seriously hurt.”

Laxus stared at her, the guilt he had been trying suppress bubbling back to the surface. That feeling was only amplified when his two year old daughter came running down the corridor, excitedly embracing her godmother the second she could.

“Jade!” Lacey bubbled, wrapping herself around her godmother’s legs. “Hiiiiiiii!”

“Hi, Lace,” Jade affectionately ruffled the little princess’ hair. “You looking for someone?”

Laxus scowled at her but he softened the second his daughter looked at him. Lacey grinned and started waving excitedly, and she giggled when he picked her up and tapped her nose.

“Fwee’s silly!” Lacey kept giggling and grabbed at her father’s hair. “He say he hates balls!”

“He always has,” Laxus glanced to Jade, who shrugged. “Come to think of it, I’ve never enjoyed them much either.”

“Really?” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess: Toma gives you a hard time about being too affectionate with Hisui in public.”

Laxus grimaced at the thought. “Let’s just say he has before.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jade smirked. “He was pretty shocked when you told him you wanted to marry Hisui.”

“That wasn’t shocking,” Laxus rolled his eyes. “We’d been together for almost two years. What about that was shocking? Freed saw it…”

Jade started laughing when he trailed off, well aware that it had only just occurred to him that Freed had neglected to warn Toma the night before Laxus and Hisui had publicly announced their intent to wed. Lacey laughed too, although the little girl didn’t understand what was going on.

“I’m going to --” Laxus cut himself off when he saw his wife coming up the stairs. “‘Sui?” He quickly came over to her and embraced her tightly. Tiredly, she clung to him for a moment before taking their daughter into her arms. “Are you okay?” He murmured.

“Exhausted,” She brushed her hair away from her eyes and weakly smiled when she saw Jade. “Bothering my husband again, were you?”

Jade considered that. “Depends,” She lightly teased. “Does mildly tormenting him count?”

Hisui managed a small laugh. “What was it this time?”

“Oh, just reminding him that he’s not going to be able to hide from the Grand Magic Games in a few months,” Jade winked. “And that Freed has probably let some things slip more than a few times.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t cover me on that,” Laxus muttered. “He knew Toma was going to freak on me, didn’t he?”

Hisui and Jade exchanged a knowing look. “Before our wedding?” Hisui pressed.

“Exactly,” Laxus loosely wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her an affectionate squeeze. 

Hisui shook her head and kissed his cheek. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Mhmmm,” Laxus chuckled. “Well, at least he was much calmer when we told him we’re having another baby than he was when we told him about Lacey. God, that was a long night.”

“I remember,” Jade teased. “Better you than me, though. You wouldn’t believe….Levy?”

Laxus and Hisui both turned around in surprise, sharing a concerned look when they saw the mage. Levy nervously adjusted the large bag on her shoulder and ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

“What happened to you?” Jade eyed her worriedly. “Lev --”

“I found something,” Levy sighed, turning to Laxus and Hisui. “Something you both ought to see. It’s the necklace….and I’m almost certain your father meant to plant it today.”

Hisui looked faint. “What?” She whispered in disbelief.

Jade set a hand to her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay,” She turned to Laxus, sending him a pointed look. “I don’t care what you’re thinking, but it’s probably --”

“I won’t,” Laxus motioned for Levy to follow them. “If you don’t mind, we need to hear this...now.”

Levy nodded shortly. “Of course.”

“I’ll take her,” Jade took Lacey’s hand after Hisui gently set her little girl down. “Come on, Lace...let’s go.”


	7. Pieces in the Wind

“I’m glad I was right about you being here.”

Jade flinched upon hearing another voice from the other side of the room but relaxed when she saw it was only Evergreen. Lacey excitedly grabbed her godmother’s glasses off her face and ran towards Evergreen, wanting her to play too. While the mage happily swooped her up and let her babble, the look she gave Jade set quite a different tone. It took her a moment to figure it out, however, given how damn blurred Evergreen was in her vision and, with an exasperated shake of her head, Evergreen set the little girl down and tapped the glasses in her hand. Lacey only giggled, not quite understanding what she meant.

“You know,” Evergreen said, guiding Lacey back towards Jade. “She can’t see three feet in front of her without her glasses, so I’d put those back on hers before she walks into anything.”

Jade scowled at her blurry form. “Not in the mood, Ever.”

“Jade!” Lacey hugged her godmother tightly and slammed her glasses back on her face with a smile. “You see me now.”

Jade smiled. “Yep,” She said, tapping the little girl’s nose.

Evergreen looked between them and then sighed. “I have questions for you, Jade,” She said quietly. “It’s about your mother.”

“Of course it is,” Jade pulled off her pearls and handed them to Lacey, whose face immediately lit up in excitement. Then, she finally looked back to Evergreen. “Just get it over with.”

“It’s more about what could have led to her being targeted, other than just being a member of the Magic Council,” Evergreen said hesitantly, only going on when she was sure Lacey was paying no attention to them. “What happened to your brother had been years before then, and same with your father. I just….I can’t help but wonder if those are somehow connected.”

Jade ran a hand nervously through her hair. “I wonder that too,” She softly admitted. “But, to be honest, I never really saw much there. Nothing…”

Evergreen eyed her nervously when she trailed off. “What?” She pressed.

“It’s nothing,” Jade said quickly. “Just...a bit of an odd memory. It occurred to me that my mom had once said she had been married about five years before she had married my father and had me….but she would never tell me much more than that and I had pressed her on it for years. Even a few weeks before she had...disappeared I had tried to get her to talk about it but nothing. I suppose what happened must have been terrible...or just not worth mentioning. To be honest, I really don’t know.”

Evergreen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That’s a bit strange.”

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” Jade shook her head. “To this day, I don’t think I’m ever going to know and I’m just glad she’s alright...I really thought she was gone.”

“You all did,” Evergreen sympathetically patted her shoulder. “But it’s over now, and things can return to the way they were. I’m sure that’s what she wants as well.”

Jade quirked a smile. “Since when are you so nice?”

“I’ve always been this way,” Evergreen innocently replied. “And, besides, I’ve gotten used to you over the years. Certainly helps that I work with your husband now.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Not that you and Sieg are known for getting along well.”

“Now, now, that’s not quite fair,” Evergreen replied. “He and I just have….some disagreements. If you feel the need to be concerned about anyone, be concerned about Mest. I’m sure Cana could tell you any number of stories of the arguments he and I have gotten in.”

Jade eyed her nervously. “I’m going to hope you two have never tried to attack each other.”

“Not since we’ve both been on the Magic Council,” Evergreen muttered. “Before then? That’s up for debate.”

“Sparkles!” Lacey giggled and hopped onto her godmother again, trying to wrap the pearls around her. “Sparkle sparkles!”

“She’s a cutie,” Evergreen sadly noted. “I just hope she can stay this innocent for awhile.”

* * *

“It’s more than just this,” Levy said, holding the necklace up in her gloved hands. “Gajeel and I are almost certain there’s more to it. The question is, what. Of course, Ivan escaping from prison likely had something to do with looking to reestablish himself as a powerful, dark mage, but the truth is we don’t know much more than that. And, of course, we can’t be certain that he was, in fact, the same man who sourced this necklace but, whomever it was, they clearly meant for it to harm Hisui, if not kill her.”

Hisui flinched. “And this was...how long ago exactly?”

“About a week,” Levy shortly admitted.

Laxus tensed. “Well, then,” He said, reaching over to reassuringly squeeze his wife’s knee. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Levy sighed. “To be honest, we don’t know much,” She said, rubbing her neck. “Because there’s just too many shifting factors. This is really the only new thing since what Gajeel and I told Toma a week and a half ago. I just….I saw it and immediately recognised it. That’s why I told Arcadios...and that’s why he handed it over to me.”

Hisui tiredly buried her face in her hands. “I’m so glad nothing happened…” She said quietly.

“I am too,” Laxus lightly rubbed her back. “I don’t want to know what could have happened, especially because…”

He trailed off upon the doors to the drawing room opening. Toma stepped in, his brow furrowed and an unusual weight and anxiety to his step. Arcadios followed shortly behind him, and Levy handed him the necklace almost the second he stepped in. The White Knight closed the doors, the necklace in one hand, and frowned as he examined it. There certainly was a pulse of magic energy radiating from it, something which only seemed to make it feel heavier. Unnerved, he set it down and stood near it, refusing to let it be touched even the slightest bit. There was something deeply wrong with it, and, though he could not tell what it was, to say the very least it was troubling.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on this….situation,” Arcadios said, nodding shortly towards Levy. “It seems his majesty was right to trust the expertise of you and your husband.”

Levy glanced towards the antique. “Regrettably, we haven’t got much to go on.”

“We’ll be monitoring the situation closely in the city,” Toma told her. “Especially with the knowledge of Ivan Dreyar’s escape from prison. I would tend to agree with your assessment that he would be the most likely person to be behind this. Of course, if he is in the city, he has concealed himself well.”

“That would be one of his specialities,” Arcadios noted. “We have seen as much before. However, all things considered, I do think it best that the queen and her husband not leave the palace. It’s far too dangerous.”

Laxus sighed. “For once, I won’t object to that. The last thing I want is for ‘Sui, Lacey, or the baby to be in danger.”

“Yes, exactly,” Hisui said nothing when Laxus pulled her tighter into his arms, almost as if he were afraid something would happen right then. “Laxus, I’m alright.”

“I know you are,” He whispered, briefly letting his fear for her show. “I’m only worried, that’s all.”

“I am too,” She said softly. “But we’re okay right now.”

Laxus stared at her for a few seconds, kissed her forehead, and then let out a small sigh.

“Alright,” He said, calmly looking back to Levy and Arcadios. “Anything else we should know?”

“I haven’t got anything else,” Levy said, awkwardly adjusting her rather heavy bag on her shoulder before pulling off her gloves.

“There haven’t been any new reports on the matter with regard to your father,” Arcadios put in. “But we will keep an eye on the situation.”

“That is all we can do, I imagine,” Toma turned to his daughter and son-in-law. “I’m sure you two are more than exhausted, please, take some time for yourselves. I’m sure your daughter would appreciate seeing you two as well.”

Laxus kept his hand tightly entwined with Hisui’s as they stood up, and, the second they saw their daughter, he vowed again to never let his father hurt them.

* * *

_ January 3rd, X792 _

_ Ivan -- _

_ We found the last few locations of former and current members of the Magic Council and have begun our strikes against them. With Era being our first target, hopefully quite a few of the current members will be taken out at once and we can address predominantly the former members. For any that survive -- provided any of them do -- I suggest we attack them quickly without giving them much time to think. Within a few weeks, we will likely have obliterated the majority -- if not all -- of the Ishgar Magic Council. We have a few other things planned in tandem with your work, but it is unlikely those will interfere with one another. For now, this is merely an update. _

_ We do, however, have a few questions regarding the recent partnership you have formed with the leaders of the Alvarez Empire to the north east of Fiore. While, of course, we are not against any efforts that would destabilize the kingdom as it would be quite useful to our own ends, we require a bit more information about exactly who will be involved and when with regard to your plans. Of course, as some of these may very well not be of your own design, we do not expect you to have enough to clue us in on everything. However, without sufficient explanation, we cannot proceed in our partnership. _

_ As well, we would like to know if you have any special instructions for any of our targets. I understand that you particularly want to silence one person in particular due to them being the mother of your son and his half-sister, but this is something you have been quite silent on and, frankly, I need to know more if we are to execute this properly. _

_ That being said, we also will require -- _

Ivan didn’t even bother to look at the other two pages attached to the letters. He knew their contents all too well and didn’t see much point in looking over them again. Of course, he knew now that addressing the issue of Laxus’ mother had not worked out and that she was still alive; a wrinkle in his plans, if any, but not the worst thing he saw facing him in the upcoming weeks and months. Angrily, his hands began to tighten around the papers as he recalled catching that one Fairy Tail mage finding what he had laid aside when he had breached the palace. He knew, ultimately, that although he had been foiled in harming the queen, he now knew the broader internal layout of the palace and would be able to plan better with that knowledge in mind. Nevertheless, vitriol boiled in him, and he knew that Laxus would know by now. It disgusted him, how protective Laxus was of Hisui, but Ivan knew there was no use dwelling on it. She and their damn child were the center of his life, and Ivan viewed them as his son’s weakness.

But, still, what was contained later in these pages were not something he ever wanted his son to know about. It would only make his own plans more difficult, because Ivan knew full well that Laxus, if he found out who his mother was, would turn to her and his half-sister. That, Ivan feared, would be disastrous to his plans.

“At least she’ll never breathe a damn word of this.”

Ivan tossed the three-page letter into the flames, watching the messy, handwritten words crumple and writhe under the heat and might of the flames. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that, no matter how much it weighed on her and no matter what else she knew, Laxus’ mother would never breathe a word on the subject to him or anyone else. His half-sister would never know, and neither would anyone else in the family. Ivan knew he had played it well when he had taken Laxus. Yes, his son had only been two years old and had never been able to recall his mother, but Ivan had never forgotten. After she had remarried and had her two other children, he had begun to threaten her again. Her husband, too, was no longer an issue and had not been for quite some time. She had seen then and one other time that he had no issue in killing the people she loved in order to secure her silence, and Ivan was quite prideful of his mastery. He had done it better than anyone else could have.

Of that, at least, he was certain.


	8. Underfoot

Lacey giggled and almost immediately curled into her mother’s arms, who picked her up with a tired smile. Laxus, who was sitting on the other end of their bed, reached over to kiss his wife’s cheek and wave at their daughter. All things considered, he was relieved they could have a quiet evening for once. The last few days alone had been awful, and, if nothing else, he had been worried about his wife and he wanted nothing more than for her, the baby, and their daughter to not have to worry about anything. The night before had been hard on them both; between Lacey being upset after having missed her nap and Hisui feeling sick all day, it hadn’t been easy. If anything, he was glad they were able to have a happier, calmer evening just to themselves and their baby girl.

“You know,” He said, affectionately tousling his little girl’s hair. “You’re going to be almost three when your baby brother is born, aren’t you, Lacey?”

“Laxus --” Hisui started, trying not to laugh when he suddenly wrapped an arm tightly around her.

“Hey, hey,” He teased, his fingers gently grazing her cheek. “I told you I’m going to be right about this, and he’s going to be just as sweet as she is.”

Hisui rolled her eyes. “Laxus,” She said, squeezing his hand. “You’re this close to making me hope we have another girl just to prove you wrong.”

Laxus smirked. “See, ‘Sui,” He murmured, leaning over to lightly kiss her small baby bump. “As much as I’m hoping to win this bet, I love them already and you know it. You’re not going to be able to stay mad at me, are you?”

Lacey giggled and climbed onto her mother, wrapping her tiny arms tightly around her the best she could before she started to try and play with her mother’s necklaces. “Sparkly!” She declared with a grin. “I want sparkles too, mommy!”

Hisui smiled, pressing a light kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “When we get to the summer ball after the Grand Magic Games, then I’ll let you, okay, Lacey?”

Lacey perked up immediately, looking rather giddy at the thought. “Tiara!”

“As long as she doesn’t do what the Salamander did, I don’t care,” Laxus whispered, eliciting a surprised laugh from his wife. “I mean that. I’d rather not watch your father chase our daughter around in a pumpkin head.”

Hisui raised an eyebrow. “It’s bold of you to assume he’s not going to let  _ her  _ wear one.”

Laxus grimaced at the thought. “The last thing I want is our two year old daughter running around the Domus Flau in a pumpkin head. Toma would probably be amused by it, but I would not be.”

“Pumpkins?” Lacey innocently pressed.

“Not for you,” Laxus said, tapping her nose. “Your grandfather is just strange. Speaking of which, you know nothing about that.”

“Laxus, she’s two!” Hisui shook her head, smiling faintly. “She can barely feed herself half the time, you really expect her to be able to keep a secret?”

He considered that and then shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be good at it,” He grinned when Lacey tried to climb up him and play with his hair. “We’re going to have to keep a closer eye on you than we did last year, aren’t we? You’re a lot more adventurous, huh?”

“I wanna play!” Lacey declared, her tiny hands trying to muss his hair. “And see pumpkin-man!”

“I think you see pumpkin-man every day,” Laxus joked. “I bet if you ask your grandfather about him, he’ll be more than happy to tell you all about him.”

“Trying to deflect blame, are you?” Hisui teased. “You’d feel better if she found out from him, wouldn’t you?”

“Depends,” Laxus winked. “Care to tell her about the time your father made you wear the pumpkin head as a punishment?”

Hisui stared at him for a few seconds, stunned and blushing. “Laxus! You can’t be serious!”

“Mommy-pumpkin?” Lacey looked to her mother with wide eyes. “You dressed like the pumpkin-man?”

“Not because she wanted to,” Laxus told her, pausing for a moment to squeeze his wife’s hand. “Don’t worry, ‘Sui. I happen to think this particular story is rather cute….now….how to explain?”

* * *

“What are we doing?” 

Cana set her flask to her hip and stared at her husband, who motioned her into an alleyway. She eyed him strangely and pulled a second hood out of her bag, throwing it at him with a pointed look. Mest blinked, a bit surprised, but then sighed off the look his wife gave him. Rather quickly, he switched cloaks and Cana, ever resourceful, stuffed his other in her (decidedly behemoth) bag. Then, after glancing out to check their surroundings, she grabbed his hand and let him back out into the streets. Around them, there was not much activity but, then again, it was four in the morning in Crocus, and it would, perhaps, be even more suspect if people were out. Still, Mest wasn't quite sure what exactly his wife was trying to accomplish other than running the risk of them getting into trouble, which, given his position as a member of the Magic Council, was something he expressly wanted to avoid. 

Truly, all things considered, he imagined it was very much something she wanted to avoid too. The last time he could recall her getting arrested had been less than three months prior and, no less, it had been with her father. So far as Mest could tell, Gildarts being in town meant his wife found an extra excuse to get raving drunk, and the decisions she often made with her father did not make either of them look good. The most recent example he could think of, as it happened, involved them both stealing a taxi each and drag racing in the streets of Era. To put it quite mildly, it hadn't exactly looked good for them and, involuntarily, he could still hear Jade Fernandes trying not to laugh too hard when she had heard about it, let alone how Sieg had all but begged him to stop Cana and Gildarts from “getting into anything more destructive than firecrackers” again.

As it had turned out, Mest recalled with a smirk, Cana would end up being far less destructive and excitable by firecrackers than Jade, who had nearly set her hand on fire lighting several at once with her magic.

"Cana…." Mest kept his voice low as they kept walking. "You could at least clue me in on what's happening. Who are we following? And what was so wrong with my --"

"Mest," Cana stopped him and playfully tousled his hair. "You can't dress like you stole some of Siegrain's clothes when trailing someone. Try and dress more like a thief. And, well, we're following a creep who might know far more about Ivan Dreyar's escape from prison than they let on."

Mest let out a heavy sigh. "Don't make us sound like we're Bonnie and Clyde."

Cana chuckled. "Hey, we're in this in sickness, health, and cahoots."

Mest raised an eyebrow. "Care to at least tell me who this person is?"

Cana took another few glances around and then nodded. "Their name is Cordelia, though Makarov couldn't tell me much more than that. All I know for sure is that she's been a contact of Ivan's for ages. If anyone knows what he's up to, it's her."

"And you didn't mention this to the Council?" Mest stared at her, confounded. "This could --"

"It's complicated, and a bit of a shot in the dark," Cana quietly reminded him as they turned another corner after the woman. "Now hush, please, I'd rather we not get caught."

“Alright,” Mest lowered his voice, his eyes narrowing when he saw the woman slip into the side-entrance of a building. “Is that a psychic shop? Cana, please don’t tell me we’re trailing someone who ripped you off or --”

“They haven’t ripped me off,” Cana paused and then smirked. “At least, they haven’t tried to yet.”

Mest snapped his head towards her in shock. “You’re kidding. No. Don’t tell me you want to try and extract information out of her by pretending to be --”

“A client?” Cana nodded. “Exactly right! That’s part of why I wanted you to look….less conspicuous.”

Mest sighed. “I’d rather you not go in there alone.”

“I figured,” She replied, reaching into her bag again and pulling out a short, blonde wig. “Put this on, and try and cover your scar with this,” She handed him an oversized eye patch, and he frowned. “Do you want to get caught or not? If she really is still working with or associated with Ivan, then --”

“Fine,” Mest swore under his breath as he adjusted the wig and then the eye patch. “I hope you know just how many laws we’re breaking here. This could get us both in serious trouble.”

Cana shrugged and pulled on a wig for herself, as well as a long overdress to obscure her almost entirely and, more importantly, hide her guild mark. “Some things are worth trouble,” She replied, squaring her shoulders and taking in a deep breath as they started towards the front of the shop the woman had discreetly entered. “Now...let’s see if we can find out anything worthwhile.”


	9. A Damning Revelation

Mest resisted the urge to gag the second he and Cana stepped into the small shop, the smell of burning incense all but attacking him when he stepped in. Sure enough, looking over a tarot spread, the woman they had been following for the better part of two hours was there. Up close, she seemed almost too odd for words. Her face was mostly covered, but they could clearly tell that she was quite pale, almost sickly so from what of her face and hands were visible, with dark blue eyes and greying black hair that peaked out from under the layers of fabric that obscured her. She looked up at them, scanning between them, before fixating on Cana, who she motioned to sit down. Mest sat down beside her, discomfort twisting in his stomach that he swore had nothing to do with the overpowering smell of incense and the heat in the room.

"You seem to be quite curious," The woman spoke in a low voice and took Cana's hand, her knobbly fingers running over the lines on her palm. "With an aura of pure intrigue. Hard to pin a color on it….but that man with you is a deep green. A healer."

Cana smiled. "He certainly is."

"Now…" She glanced suspiciously towards Mest. "What have you come to seek?"

"There's a man in my family who recently escaped prison," Cana carefully replied. "I'd like to know where he is. I want to meet up with him. It's been far too long since I've seen him. See, he's….my uncle. My cousin will probably be unhappy if he finds out about this, but…."

"Hm…" The woman eyed her up and down, and then lowered some of her scarves to reveal her face. Mest intensely studied her features out of the corner of his eyes. "There are not many prison escapees out there...not of note, that is. Was he...by chance….high profile?"

Cana nodded. "Extremely high profile. See," She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "He's the king's father."

The woman took in a sharp breath. "I need not consult the cards for that," She said coldly. "He is here in my home. I shall summon him for you. I'm sure he'll recognise you. After all, you are a member of his family."

Cana tensed. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_ _,_ she thought. _We're going to get fucking murdered, aren't we? How shitty is our luck?_

Mest looked to her the second the woman slipped out of the room. When they heard footsteps approaching, he swore under his breath and clenched his fists beneath his robes. This, he was sure, would not end well. Sure enough, when the curtains shifted again, the woman was not there and, instead, the imperious figure of Ivan Dreyar was before them. He narrowed his eyes at Mest, and, when his gaze settled on Cana, his features darkened considerably. Cana felt her entire body go cold, wanting to run but feeling completely unable to do so. Still waiting for the fight, Mest prepared himself, willing himself to be quick enough to extradite them from what he was sure would become a quite dangerous situation. His fears, however, were disturbingly misplaced.

"So," Ivan said darkly. "The wench told you some lie about your half-brother being your cousin? I'm surprised she told you anything at all. She knows better….or, should I say, knew."

Cana swallowed hard. "Yes," She said, looking down at her hands and too antsy to say anything more.

Ivan snorted. "Interesting that your husband isn't with you. Who's this? A new companion? Did you grow tired of the stuffy Council member I heard you married."

"This is merely...my escort," Cana lied. Mest looked up, shocked, but nodded. "My husband is still in Era."

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well. Apparently Siegrain isn't as oblivious as I've always assumed."

Cana blinked, her mind reeling in confusion. _Why in the hell would he think I'm Jade? She and Laxus aren't related...are they?_

"Sorry to bother you," She finally said, standing up quickly. "I merely needed to know the truth. Laxus….tends to...distort things."

Ivan laughed darkly. "That he does. Do not breathe a word of this to him."

"Of course," Mest put in before Cana could say anything else.

They left in almost a blur, more relieved than they could ever remember being when they returned to their hotel room, with far more questions than they had any answers to.

* * *

"The last thing I expected when we took this job was to become involved in tryin' to take down a potential threat to the royal family," Gajeel took back a long sip of beer before sighing and looking over towards his wife. "Really, this is insane. Takes me back, too."

Levy briefly met his gaze. "Yeah," She agreed. "It's disturbing….but all too familiar."

"What's even crazier is that my mom…" He trailed off and shook his head. "When Siegrain called...well, my first instinct was to think I'd gotten into some trouble. To find out she's not dead...that she survived…"

"It's a good thing," Levy smiled. "Oh, Gajeel…" She tapped his nose affectionately when she noticed he was struggling to not cry. "Hey, she's fine. It's better than we ever could have thought."

"I know, I know," He smiled. "Sorry, Lev," He forced himself to laugh. "It's been a long time since I've gotten emotional, huh? Good thing the kids are asleep, then."

Levy lightly kissed him. "You know I don't mind it. You've never had to hide in front of me, even if you were a tough ass nails dick when we first met."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Just be glad I don't chew on nails and screws anymore."

"Don't lie," Levy teased. "I caught you chewing on one of our old car keys just the other day."

"Was I supposed to let it go to waste?" He rolled his eyes. "Be practical, Lev. Some things have too much utility to be thrown out. I'm still Black Steel Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer. I just have kids and a wife now…..and don't do crimes anymore."

Levy laughed. "That's one way to phrase it. But don't worry. I'm not concerned."

"Good," He said, leaning back against the chair and gesturing to the multiple scrolls spread over the desk. "Now, what the hell were we supposed to be doing? Last time I looked, it seemed like half of these were old alchemy scripts and the others were just royal nonsense."

Levy playfully mussed his hair. "Royal nonsense?" She repeated. "Really?"

"Well, that's what it is to me," He shrugged. "I sure as hell don't know how Laxus puts up with some of that shit. He must really love Hisui."

"And I thought that had been pretty obvious to everyone for years," Levy shook her head with an amused smile. "I'm sorry, Gajeel, but you're pretty late coming to that observation. He's more than once proven he'll do anything for her. He's even fought his own father over it."

"Fair enough," Gajeel put up his hands in mock surrender. "But, to be fair, his father's always been a douche. I worked with him at one point, if you'll recall. God, that was hell. Ivan's the most self-righteous piece of shit I've ever met. He seemed to really hate my mom too, though I was never sure why. No one seemed to know anything about it. Probably was related to her being on the Council. I bet he was aware she woulda been more than happy to have put him under arrest."

"Yeah," Levy trailed off briefly in thought. "That would make sense. Ivan never has been a fan of law enforcement. He probably trusted you because of your criminal history, and he probably assumed your relationship with your adoptive mother wasn't great….which, while I know it was strained at times, was simply not true."

"Ivan's a real creep," Gajeel agreed. "Though I will say mom got real quiet any time I ever tried to ask her about him. Said all that information was 'classified.' She shut it down that way every time. I just thought it was weird...although I guess she didn't know I was spying on him."

Levy sighed. "That's probably fair."

Gajeel nodded thoughtfully but, finally, gestured back to the scrolls again. "Should we get back to work?"

"Probably," Levy said, sitting down beside him and putting on her glasses. "Alright….so where exactly was I in the translations…."

* * *

"It's been quite a long time. It was quite the pleasant surprise to learn you're still alive, Bella."

Belno raised an eyebrow, rather taken aback hearing anyone use that nickname, much less Makarov. He glanced up, eyeing her for a moment and taking a sip of his beer. She eyed him critically, though she knew she was far too tired to be annoyed. Of course, she had not expected him to ask her to meet him in downtown Crocus late at night, but, then again, he was as aware as she was of the shock her return had been. It would be counterproductive to risk someone noticing them and a million questions arising. Still, it was also uncomfortable. They had scant spoken in the years leading up to her disappearance, and, before then, they certainly had not discussed anything pleasant. Those matters in and of themselves had always brought up terrible memories, memories of loss and violence.

"I know we haven't always been on the...best of terms," Makarov eventually broke the silence, awkwardly clearing his throat. "But I -"

"Enough, Makarov," She said shortly. "You and I both know exactly why I was so willing to make time to speak to you in particular."

He nodded grimly. "Yes, I'm afraid we both do."

She watched him with narrow eyes for a few seconds. "How are Laxus and Hisui?" She finally said. "I heard of Ivan's….escape. I can't imagine that's easy on them….him especially."

Makarov glanced around them and lowered his voice when he spoke. "They're alright. Shaken, but alright. Of course, they're worried about their daughter and he's especially concerned because she's with child, but they're fine."

Belno sighed. "He's been protective of her for years. Ever since they first started seeing each other just before the X791 Grand Magic Games…."

"And then only a year later things went terribly wrong," Makarov finished. "Not for them, but for all of us."

She paused briefly, and then shook her head. "I suppose I should ask: does Laxus know?"

"About his mother?" Makarov frowned. "No. He's been rather persistent about finding out who she is in recent years, and Hisui has certainly increased that, what with trying to find information via records. Still, they have not found anything….yet. The only people who know are us and Ivan himself. I haven't told his younger sister, nor have I told his adopted brother even though he's a member of the guild. Interesting that they're both Dragon Slayers, though. I know that's simply a coincidence, but, still, it's strange to think about. He even knows his younger sister and she's always been a close friend of his wife's. It's almost -"

He stopped short when she deftly raised her hand to silence him.

"I don't like it, but he's better off not knowing," Belno sent Makarov a pointed look. "I sincerely hope you haven't forgotten the threats Ivan made with regard to that matter."

"I have not," Makarov replied. "But he's not a child anymore, Bella. He has a family, and he's more than capable of defending himself. Does he not deserve to know? Do none of them deserve to know?"

"This is not a matter of whether or not they deserve to know or not," She said, an unusually nervous edge to her voice. "And I refuse to put anything past Ivan. I figured out a long time ago that he was behind the attempt on my life. That was personal."

"I know," Makarov said, sounding dejected. "But, with Laxus...you're his mother. He should at least know. I almost told him, Gajeel, and Jade after your disappearance, you know."

"Ivan's done enough damage without us giving him what he'll think is a reason to cause more," She countered, scowling in an attempt to mask her confliction. "I am not going to do anything that could put them in danger. They've all suffered enough because of him...and I refuse to be responsible for that being exacerbated."

Makarov furrowed his brow. "What happened between you and Ivan was terrible, but it won't happen here. They're all adults, now, and adults more than capable of defending themselves. Consider the security about the palace. Laxus and Hisui are more than protected, and so is their daughter."

"You cannot guarantee that," Belno shortly countered. "And I don't even know where to begin with telling them either."

"Bella, at least consider it," Makarov all but pleaded. "This is too serious to dismiss...especially now."


	10. The Weight in Words

“There’s something quite important that I need to discuss with the four of you,” Makarov paced in front of the fire, looking nervously between Laxus and Hisui, and Siegrain and Jade, all of whom seemed rather befuddled. “And, regrettably, it does have to do with Ivan.”

Jade raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “And what does that have to do with me and Sieg?”

“That’s a good question,” Hisui put in, nervously twisting her hair in her hands. “Has something happened, Makarov?

He turned to his granddaughter in law who, unusually, looked her age. It still stunned him, sometimes, to recall that Laxus himself was already forty and Hisui was thirty five. There were times, of course, when he was well aware that he himself was getting quite old and that, tough as he was, his health had been starting to wane over the years. Nevertheless, it was rare for Makarov to feel as compelled as he did now. He despised the sense of betrayal he felt in what he knew he was going to do, but he was afraid of what would become of the truth if he did not let it out. Bella would forgive him, he told himself, though he was still afraid of how she would react when she found out what he had done. Sensing their eyes on him in his silence, Makarov finally turned around.

“Nothing _new_ has happened,” He said calmly. “However, there is a serious matter that has been neglected for several years and needs to be brought to light now.”

He paused upon seeing six year old Lana Marie, who was still napping in her mother’s lap, start to stir. Nervously, he lowered his voice and turned to Jade:

“You’ve never really trained your magic, have you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t use it regularly,” The purple-haired mage said. “But I’m still a Celestial Spirit mage, although I’ve always had….odd moments of....clarity and have some manipulative abilities over aerial elements. My mother had been worried about that growing up...so whenever I had...visions, or the dizzy spells, she would tell me to try not to feel it, that she was concerned it would hurt me. She never said why, though, but Sieg…”

“Plenty of Celestial mages have additional, if weaker powers,” Siegrain put in, giving her a gentle smile. “Hisui, for instance, has always had some control over electricity. It’s not unusual, love. Belno was probably worried about nothing.”

“That’s not entirely accurate,” Makarov said, pausing for a moment to clear his throat. “I imagine, at any rate, that she was more trying to prevent Jade from attracting attention.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Given the way I acted until I was nearly twenty five, that was never going to happen and I’m sure my mother knew that.”

“Still,” Laxus put in before Makarov could respond. “What does any of this have to do with Ivan?”

Makarov hesitated. “First,” He said tentatively. “Have you and Hisui made any progress in attempting to find your mother?”

Laxus and Hisui turned to each other, surprised.

“No,” She said, eyeing Makarov strangely. “Again, what on earth does that have to do with anything?”

Lacey, beside her, perked up a little upon seeing her mother’s diamonds glint against the light and began to reach for them. Laxus took her into his arms, shifting her to one side and wrapping his free arm tightly around his wife, his hand resting protectively over her small baby bump. Next to them, Jade and Siegrain exchanged nervous looks. Makarov finally stopped pacing, his face becoming much more somber. It was not a sight that could be conceivably called reassuring; if anything, it was quite the opposite. For a man who ordinarily made bold declarations of how little of a damn he gave of his perception by the Magic Council and, indeed, of the rest of Fiore, Makarov seemed extremely cognisant, almost afraid even. So rarely had any of them seen that and, for Laxus, he felt taken aback.

“Firstly,” Makarov said, taking in a deep breath. “I would like to say that I’m quite sorry that this was never addressed before now. However, seeing as it was not, I have no other choice than to do so. I had meant to five years ago but ultimately decided against it….in light of some pressing circumstances.”

Jade paled. “Are you saying it’s true that Ivan was involved in what happened to my mother?”

Makarov nodded. “I presume Bella believes the same? She’s said as much before.”

“Yes,” Jade chewed at the inside of her cheek. “But….”

“But what am I getting at?” Makarov shook his head, gesturing to her and then to Laxus. “I will be blunt: Laxus, Belno Norwich is your mother, making Jade your half sister. She and Ivan divorced rather messily when you were two years old, and Ivan took you away from Bella and went on to threaten her after she remarried and especially after she had your sister.”

Jade and Laxus suddenly looked at each other in utter disbelief.

“What?” Laxus exclaimed, his mind reeling. “That’s why I never knew? Why you never would tell me a damn thing? Because my father was threatening my mother and took me away?”

“Holy shit…” Jade breathed, swallowing hard, her high, soft voice sounding unusually small. “So that explains why she never talked about her first marriage…”

Makarov sighed. “What happened between Bella and Ivan was quite ugly, and I’ll spare you both the gory details but, I”m sure, you have more than an idea of what happened. Bella did not want me to tell you this because she believes Ivan will hurt anyone who knows...but I disagree and, even if he does...the fact that you know means that you have something to fight with.”

“Daddy?” Lacey stared at her father with wide eyes, tugging at his hair. “You sad?”

“I’m fine, Lacey,” Laxus quickly told her. “Just…”

“Stunned?” Hisui finished.

Laxus nodded. “You could say that.”

“So…” Jade hesitantly looked to her brother, fidgeting with her glasses. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

Laxus hesitated but Siegrain cut in.

“I have questions,” The Wizard Saint said, reaching up to gently squeeze his wife’s shoulder when he sensed her tension. “But….for now….what do we need to know?”

“Quite a bit, actually,” Makarov said grimly. “Allow me to start from the beginning.”

* * *

“You two did what?” Levy stared at Mest and Cana in utter disbelief. “It’s a miracle the two of you aren’t dead!”

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Mest muttered. “It wasn’t pretty, but at least we know for sure where Ivan Dreyar is staying for the time being. We’re going to tell the royal family soon, but we heard a few other things that are….definitely questionable.”

Gajeel’s eyebrows shot up, shocked, and he glanced briefly towards his toddlers. Thankfully, both Lila and Casper were still soundly asleep.

“What do you mean?” He said gruffly. “That sure as hell don’t sound good.”

Levy nodded. “It sounds really bad,” She said quietly. “What happened?”

Cana sighed. “Well, Ivan said a few things that are definitely concerning. It was about Laxus’ mother, actually. He was complaining about her, but, you know, that’s not a surprise. He’s a douche, and we have always known he hates whoever she is...but…”

“But?” Gajeel pressed, frowning.

“Ivan thought Cana was Jade,” Mest told him, crossing his arms. “It’s ludacris.”

“Why’d he think she was Jade?” Levy eyed him in confusion. “That doesn’t line up.”

“Because Cana told the psychic who’s harboring him that she was related to Ivan,” Mest sent Cana a dark look, to which she merely shrugged. “That was stupid, by the way. I love you, Cana, but you could have gotten us killed. Honestly, Levy is right. It’s a damn miracle we didn't get ourselves killed. What happened was terrible, and, to be honest, it was uncomfortable too.”

“Sure,” Cana shook her head. “Come on, though. How often do we have decent leads?”

“That doesn’t make it better,” Mest countered. “Please don’t talk me into doing something like that again. I don’t want to think about what almost happened.”

Cana groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Come on, Mest,” She moaned. “I thought we had already hashed this out.”

“You two….” Gajeel laughed a bit to himself. “I won’t lie, this is pretty damn funny to listen to.”

Levy lightly elbowed him. “But, again, why did Ivan assume that meant she was Jade? Jade isn’t related to the Dreyars.”

“She may be,” Cana said, looking up and shaking her head. “He claimed Laxus is Belno’s child too. I have no idea why, but it seems too….it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you lie about, even if you’re the kind of dick like Ivan is.”

Levy and Gajeel stared at them, blinking in shock.

“Are you serious?” Levy finally said, regaining her composure. “What in the world….”

“My mom never said anything about that,” Gajeel eyed them strangely. “Although I guess she never wanted to talk about him either…”

“You really believe this?” Levy pressed.

Cana nodded. “I do. It sucks, but I really think it’s true.”

“I don’t,” Mest said, shaking his head. “Ivan Dreyar is a gross liar, of the most blatant kind and his sinister figure is permeating every aspect of what has been happening for quite some time, but his purpose and design are still shrouded in mystery. You have to understand that about him. I know this feels compelling, but I just can’t quite believe it.”

Levy sighed. “God, that’s going to be an interesting thing to tell the royal family about.”

Gajeel stood up suddenly, walking over to the phone line.

“Calling your mother?” Mest asked.

Gajeel said nothing, but the three of them were well aware of what he was doing. Levy, better than anyone, knew that he had to be feeling awful. Everything to do with his adoptive mother had been sensitive for years, and her return had only exacerbated that.

“Mom,” Gajeel said the second the line picked up. “I hate to do this, but I have to ask you something.”

A nervous silence fell over the line. “And that would be?”

“It’s about Ivan Dreyar,” He lowered his voice.

Belno sighed. “What of him?”

“It’s not just him,” Gajeel went on. “It’s…”

Cana snatched the phone from him. “Belno, hi,” She said quickly, her voice shaking. “Gajeel can’t bring himself to say it, and I don’t blame him, but Ivan thought I was Jade when Mest and I managed to peg his location and broke in to see him. Look, he…..are Jade and Laxus siblings?”

Belno took in a sharp breath. “Where is he?”

“In Crocus,” Cana said, trying not to have Gajeel take the phone back from her. “But --”

“I’ll meet you, Gajeel, Levy, and Mest tomorrow,” She said shortly. “I would like more information before I let any of my cards out.”

Cana bit her lip when the line clicked off.

“That doesn’t sound good,” She said, setting it down slowly. “Not at all….”


	11. Hanging in the Air

“Wait...what?”

Mest, Cana, Gajeel, and Levy all stared at Belno in abject shock. She merely sighed, looking rather resigned and exhausted. She was staring out the window of the hotel room, her hands tightly wrapped around the window sill. Cana was drinking, sitting on top of the small desk in the room with Mest in the chair beside her. Lila and Casper were napping in one bed, with their parents sitting on the other. Gajeel’s hands were badly shaking, and there was clear rage in his eyes towards Ivan Dreyar. Levy was sitting behind him on her knees, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and holding him steady from the back. Her head rested on one of her arms and her cheek was rubbing lightly against his. Belno remained silent for a good while, only speaking again after she turned around, crossing her arms.

“Yes, Laxus is my son,” She said shortly. “This is not something anybody can know, especially him. Ivan made it quite clear that my telling anyone of this would not end well...but, then again, I am only confirming what all of you have already learned,” She turned to Mest and Cana. “You said he thought you were Jade and Siegrain?”

Cana nodded. “Well, not Siegrain but he did think I was Jade.”

Belno sighed heavily. “And he’s in the city?”

“In the home of a psychic,” Mest said, a cold edge to his voice. “I’ve already reported this to the Council. They’re going to have the rune knights raid the home next week, once they process the paperwork.”

“Still,” Levy pressed, looking worriedly at her mother in law. “I don’t understand why you and Ivan got involved in the first place? Were you already pregnant with Laxus when you two got married, or….”

“It was not like that,” Belno said, a pained look flashing across his face. “Ivan, you have to understand, was quite charming back then and the abuse did not start until after Laxus had been born. Before that, Ivan had been occasionally...aggressive and had slapped me before, but I had taken that as him being drunk, or us struggling with money at the time.”

Gajeel’s hands began to ball into fists. “And he threatened you after you two divorced?”

“When I filed for divorce, citing grievous emotional and physical abuse, Ivan threatened me and demanded I withdraw the filing,” Belno paused and then shook her head. “When I did not and the court ruled in my favor, he ran away, taking Laxus with him and, when I tried to come for our son myself, who was two at the time, Ivan threatened to kill me and harm Laxus if I tried anything. Afterwards, I gave up hope on the matter….and when I met my husband...well, Ryan Norwich was working for the Council as a Rune Knight, at the time, and eventually became the leader of the Hungry Wolf Knights, as you all, I’m sure, well know. We conceived Jade shortly after our marriage, and he was one of the few people who ever knew the truth of my first marriage.”

Levy swallowed hard, looking upset. “That’s all so horrible, Belno, I’m so sorry that happened.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Gajeel hissed, serious anger continuing to rise in his chest. “Ivan is more than a real creep now, he’s a real piece of shit of a human being, and --”

“No,” Belno said with finality, casting her adoptive son a sharp look. “Killing him will accomplish nothing, Gajeel, something I came to terms with a long time ago. I won’t deny the thought once crossed my mind, particularly towards the end of our marriage, but it would be futile.”

Mest nodded. “A reasonable assertion,” He said mildly. “Though I do hope that when he is apprehended that you’ll be able to come forward to your daughter and, of course, her half-brother with the truth once the threat is no longer out there.”

“Agreed,” Cana said, squeezing her husband’s knee. “You shouldn’t have to hide all of this because he doesn’t want anyone to know about it.”

Belno eyed them all for a few seconds and then, in resignation, sighed.

“I should hope that will be the case,” She said, looking unusually dejected. “But, the truth is, I languished in a loveless marriage for years and will always have to be careful of my mistake. I should have left Ivan with Laxus well before we had descended to where we had...and, I’m afraid, the blame for that will remain upon my shoulders no matter what happens with him now.”

* * *

“I can’t believe she’s my sister,” Laxus kept pacing, holding his head in his hands. “God, I always assumed my father had done  _ something  _ to do with why no one would ever tell me anything about my mother, but to think that….

He paused, feeling Lacey’s tiny hands start to tug on his pants. Shaking his head, he picked her up and ruffled her hair, quickly coming over to where Hisui was sitting in their bed, setting the novel she had been half-trying to read aside.

“We know now, though,” Hisui said gently, resting a hand over his knee. “I can’t believe it either, Laxus, but we at least can handle things as they are now.”

“I know,” He hesitated and then sighed. “It just...with his whereabouts still being unknown and, after what he tried to do to you, I’m terrified he’s going to hurt more people in the family. Sounds like he’s already done that before, and not just to us….”

“Daddy…” Lacey started climbing on her father, trying to blot off his silent tears that had started to fall with her little hands. “Why you sad?”

“I’m just worried about you and your mother, Lace,” Laxus told her, forcing a faint smile and helping her back down, where she sat in between her parents. “And your aunt and grandmother, too.”

Hisui reached over and cupped his cheek. “Laxus,” She said gently. “You’re always telling that, no matter what happens, things will be alright. I want you to believe that too.”

He pulled her in close, and Lacey squirmed out of the way, giggling.

“I don’t doubt that we can handle Ivan,” He said quietly, his hands lightly rubbing her back. “I just hate the possibility that he could do even more to harm us than we already thought.”

“I hate it too,” She softly replied. “Though I think we are probably going to be fine, heeding my father’s advice and whatnot. Jade and Sieg will be fine, too. It’s not as if Ivan knows that they’re aware, and, by the sound of it, I’m not convinced Belno is aware of it yet herself.”

“If she doesn’t know yet, she will soon,” Laxus sighed. “Jade will definitely press her on it.”

Hisui laughed weakly. “She always has been tenacious. Even when we were kids, she would do that. Drove my father -- and even her own parents, sometimes -- nearly stark raving mad.”

Laxus smirked a little. “Are you saying, princess,” He whispered, his warm breath tickling her neck. “That you never did anything that could possibly have driven your father mad?”

Hisui gasped, trying not to laugh. “I was only a bit distractible as a child!” She exclaimed. “I wasn’t that bad! What could have possibly given you that idea?”

“Just a few stories Toma told me, comparing our little girl to you,” Laxus shifted slightly to let Lacey curl up in her mother’s lap, looking up at her parents with wide eyes. “Sounds to me like you were just as hyper as our little Lacey.”

Hisui blushed. “I cannot believe he told you those stories.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Laxus said, stealing a kiss. “I happened to find them cute.”

Lacey began giggling again at this and her mother smiled, tickling her a little and getting the little girl to laugh even more.

“Momma silly!” Lacey excitedly babbled through giggles.

“Am I?” Hisui raised an eyebrow and Laxus nodded, chuckling a bit himself. “Well, you and your father both seem to think so.”

“I’m sure our baby boy will too,” Laxus added, pressing a gentle kiss to her baby bump. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“You still have two more months until we know if you’re right or not,” Hisui reminded him with a faint smirk. “I wouldn’t forget that if I were you.”

“And you know full well that I love our baby either way,” Laxus replied, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “I told you when I proposed that I will choose your happiness over mine every single time, and I’ll do that for you and our children, ‘Sui. That’s not something you’ll ever have to worry about or doubt.”

“I know,” Hisui said with a small smile. “And it’s one of the reasons I love you so damn much, Laxus. You’re always going to be mine, my thunder beast.”

He grinned. “Good,” He teasingly whispered. “Because the very same goes for you, princess...my Hisui Dreyar”

* * *

Still in the refuge of Cornelia, Ivan was lying in wait. He rarely went out, and when he did it was under the disguise of magic. He had not dared try to get near the palace again, well aware that his single attempt to do harm against the Queen had failed epicly. Of course, killing her had not been his intention there. It had been much more to inflict her with a curse that would greatly weaken her and make her fell sick day after day after day after day. A frown creeped across his thin lips, and he stood up, walking towards the window seat and sitting down, one hand drumming impatiently against the table beside it. He knew that he could see out the window though no one could see in, but the city was quiet tonight. Nothing had really happened, and he had not heard much interesting since his escape from prison. Only rumors about the royal family’s paranoia, that was, something he had expected from the start.

“Here’s an article that may interest you,” Cornelia suddenly dropped a newspaper down on the small table nearby where Ivan was sitting, still staring out at the night. “Regarding what happened the other night with those people who came by.”

Ivan raised an eyebrow and waited until she had left the room. Then, he took a look at the article. On the front page was the same formal portrait of his ex-wife that he had recalled seeing when she had been first placed on the Magic Council and when she had been presumed dead. The headline, however, was what shocked him.  _ After Half A Decade, Former Ishgar Magic Council Member Belno Norwich Found Alive. _ Ivan’s hands tightened around the paper and he immediately peered over the article, his eyes narrowing by the second. Within, he saw a few additional photographs, including one from just a few days earlier of Belno with a purple haired woman wearing glasses, Siegrain, and a young girl with bright green eyes. When he read the caption, a hint of rage rose in his chest.  _ Norwich, pictured with her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter shortly after her return. _ It occurred to him the woman that had claimed to be Jade Norwich-Fernandes had not worn glasses and had dark brown hair, not purple, and her eyes were not so strikingly green, if that color at all.

“Who the hell was that woman, then?” Ivan growled, casting the paper aside and quickly storming out of the room. It was not long before he ran into Cornelia.

“Need something, Ivan?” She said, not looking up from her cards as she examined them.

“Did you know that the woman who came here the other night was not Jade Norwich-Fernandes?” He asked, violent fury clear in his voice.

“No,” Cornelia calmly replied, calmly meeting his gaze after a few seconds. “I’m afraid I am not the one with whom you have anger. That would be whomever it was that fooled you. Likely someone on the Magic Council, though, so I imagine that narrows it down quite a bit for you.”

Ivan glared. “That does not help me, Cornelia.”

“Well,” She said, completely unfazed. “Regardless, you have a great deal to address that has nothing to do with me. You just exposed your biggest secret to someone who may very well let it on before the royal family and God knows how many other people.”

Ivan pursed his lips. “If Bella confesses to any of it, I certainly will ensure she does not forget it. I highly doubt she will, though.”

Cornelia’s eyebrows shot up and she chuckled lowly under her breath.

“What makes you so sure of that?” She asked, lighting some incense and spreading out her cards again. “No doubt she and everyone in her family will have a great deal of security, what with everything that has happened to them and specifically to her. You do have to consider that, of course.”

Ivan stepped towards her and leaned forward to slap her, ensuring that she looked at him afterwards.

“She knows it was I who had sent for her murder those five years ago,” Ivan sneered, his voice lowering into a hiss. “Not to mention that she knows, as well, that I was also responsible for the murder of her biological son and her second husband. Bella is no fool. She wouldn’t dare breathe a word of it. She cares far too much about her own life, and she will never confirm it.”

Cornelia considered that. “Perhaps,” She mused. “I would hope, for your sake, that you are correct on that count.”

Ivan smirked. “Believe me,” He said darkly. “I am.”


	12. Slip

It all happened in a matter of minutes, but even that was plenty of time for him to slip out. Ivan had pressured Cornelia to slip away too, but she, ever the resistant, did not seem to care much about hearing the Rune Knights approaching from the back alley. She was still unperturbed when she saw the man with the Rune Knights too, the man Ivan imagined had been sent by the retired king out of fear of him. He had been expecting this, of course, and had no doubt in his mind that Laxus was more than alright with his father in law sending the White Knight, the head of the royal guard, out to find him. Seeing Arcadios with the Council’s Rune Knights was truly not a shock to Ivan. Why Cornelia was unafraid of them, however, was absolutely beyond him. Nevertheless, she had stayed and he had slipped out through an obscure basement exit, his appearance heavily obscured from her magic and the heavy layers of fabric all around him.

In the distance, as he got farther and farther away from his refuge, Ivan could hear the sounds of the door being forced open and Cornelia’s angered demands and yelling at them all for “encroaching” on her property. Ivan didn’t particularly care, and soon enough he was in the silence of night once more. He was far more cunning than he was typically willing to let on, and this was a moment of proof, for that. He knew full well that he would not be caught, and that he would be able to return to a different part of the city soon enough. He was running, now, towards Magnolia, to get a different perspective and, indeed, take a visit to Era on the way. He was very much going to address the issue of his ex-wife when he returned to Crocus, but he was well aware that she could very well be in Era too.

The sooner he could deal with her, the better.

What Ivan did not account for, however, was that Cornelia would in fact be arrested. Whilst he was escaping cleanly out of the city, Cornelia had been violently fighting, cutting cards, killing multiple members of the squadron of Rune Knights that had been sent to merely question her, and becoming so aggressive with her magic energy that she shattered nearly all the lightbulbs in her apartment from the force of her cards. She certainly was swift, and she was difficult to pin down, too, something which only made it more difficult for the authorities that had come for Ivan. It was not until, after an intense struggle, Arcadios and two senior members of the Rune Knight squadron managed to pin her down and cuff her that she stopped resisting. Nevertheless, Cornelia kept spitting curses at them and making demands, absolutely incensed at their treatment of her.

“Block off the crime scene,” One of the senior Rune Knights ordered several other subordinates. “We’ll have to report these deaths and have an investigative team come to examine the scene.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll send a brief account of the situation to the Magic Council immediately.”

“Yes, do that,” Cornelia spat, her voice drenched in venom. “I’m sure they’ll immediately convict me for defending myself against people accusing me of harbouring a criminal I have never met.”

“A warrant was issued for a proper search,” Arcadios coldly reminded her. “There was no need for violence, and you have a history among many in the city of having killed before, have you not?”

“I was acquitted every time,” Cornelia hissed. “Self defense.”

“Regardless, we have reason to suspect you may be involved, to a variety of extents, with recent prison escapee Ivan Dreyar,” Arcadios went on without paying much mind to her interjections. “Who is quite the dangerous criminal to have at large.”

“Sometimes what’s dangerous is right under your nose,” Cornelia sneered. “And I think you all should know better than to play the fool when you clearly are grasping at straws. I know nothing of this situation, and you all, as so often seems to be the case, are looking in all of the wrong places.”

* * *

“I hate the cold,” Jade muttered, scowling up at the tops of her glasses while they began to fog up. “Damn it. I’m not going to be able to see soon enough too.”

Laxus glanced towards her with a raised eyebrow. “That’s what you get for having grown up in the south of the kingdom.”

Jade sent him a dark look. “That isn’t funny.”

“Yes, it is,” He replied, just barely jumping out of the way when his six year old niece ran in front of him to get to her mother. “Well, looks like she might be faster than Lacey.”

“It’s cold, mommy!” Lana Marie giggled, putting a little bit of snow she had in her hands on the top of her mother’s dyed, dark purple locks. “Snow is fun!”

“It can be,” Jade adjusted her daughter in her arms, holding her against her hip and tapping her nose. “Now, where did your gloves go, love? Your hands are starting to turn pink.”

The six year old grinned. “They got stuck in my shoes!”

Her mother glanced down and, sure enough, she could see the tops of her daughter’s gloves poking out of the top of her shoes. Laughing a little, Jade pulled the gloves out with one hand and delicately tugged them back over her daughter’s tiny hands.

“So,” Jade said after a moment, still walking with her brother. “How are you and Hisui? She seemed really nervous earlier when we were talking...of course, that was before her father called her into that meeting. Honestly, I’m worried about her even without that. I can’t imagine it was anything good.”

“I am too,” Laxus sighed. “I think part of it is she’s scared about Ivan, especially given the things he has tried to do to us and our family, but more of it, I suspect, is her worry for Lacey and the baby. She’s been sick a lot more, and I know this pregnancy is taking her harder than it did with Lacey.”

“You better be making things easier for her,” Jade sent him a pointed look and then shook her head. “I know you are, I just also know she’s always felt the need to put work before herself. We were both like that in our teenage years, and, to be honest, I know Toma, probably not on purpose, hasn’t helped with that complex.”

“I’m not going to argue with that,” Laxus paused for a few seconds in thought. “Having Lacey changed things for her, though. Really, having our daughter changed both of us. I definitely…..have been less reckless and she’s taken more time for herself.”

“You think meemaw will be home again tonight?” Lana Marie suddenly exclaimed, looking at her mother with wide eyes. Jade briefly startled.

“I’m not sure,” She said carefully. “My mother has been having….a difficult time of late. Be patient with her, okay?”

Lana pouted but eventually nodded and curled up against her mother.

“Did Bell….does mom know yet that gramps told us everything?” Laxus eyed his sister curiously. “Knowing you, I doubt you could keep from pressing her on that for long.”

Jade hesitated. “I’ve talked with her a little about it,” She said anxiously. “Mommy definitely isn’t happy with Makarov….though, really, when is she ever? She was willing to talk to me about it after I told her….but she’s definitely not happy about Makarov circumventing her will with her own children when she was already worried about them. So weird to think you’re my brother though...but I guess her having been married to Ivan explains a lot….especially with why she didn’t want to talk about it or have that part of her past known. Ivan is pretty...scary, for lack of a better word, after all.”

“I would tend to agree with that, though we are probably better off knowing.”

Laxus and Jade both whipped around upon hearing Hisui from behind them. Laxus quickly embraced his wife, and she laughed a little in surprise, though she did welcome her husband’s warm arms around her. He quickly stole a kiss and let his fingers gently tread though her hair. Seeing little Lacey coming out into the snow with her (decidedly nervous looking) uncle, Lana Marie squirmed and all but jumped out of her mother’s arms, causing Jade to turn on her heel and quickly change her expression from one of longing for such intimacy with her own husband to one of annoyance at Freed, who merely smirked back at her in return and winked.

“Stay near Freed and Lacey!” Jade called out to her daughter, who met her mother’s gaze and nodded excitedly.

“Everything alright?” Laxus murmured to Hisui, still holding her close.

“For now,” She softly replied. “Thank God.”

* * *

“I’m utterly infuriated,” Mest remarked, reaching for a glass of whisky across the table, much to the amusement of Gajeel and Levy, both of whom started snickering a little despite knowing full well what had transpired in just the past few days alone. “How could he possibly escape that quickly when the Rune Knights had him practically between their fingers?”

“He’s a slippery one,” Cana shrugged, her eyes narrowing. “We should let Freed, Bix, and Evergreen handle him, maybe even with their spouses. I can betcha that Freed and Mira, Bix and Lisanna, and Ever and Elfman could do some serious damage if they were trying and we all know the six of them don’t usually have to try.”

Gajeel rolled his eyes. “Geez, and they wonder why everyone else in the guild constantly jokes about them. They can be more destructive than Erza and her teammates when they’re actually tryin’ and not just putin’ on a show.”

Mest took back a rather long swig of whisky. “Well,” He said dryly. “Given that Evergreen is a member of the Council herself, her skill is without question.” 

“Exactly!” Cana slung her arm around his neck with a grin, playfully socking him in the arm. “But, hey! None of us are working right now, let’s try to have fun.”

Levy smirked. “You suggesting a drinking game?”

“You’ll be rollin’ on the floor after just two, Small Fry,” Gajeel teased. “And I think Lila and Casper are gonna need their mother intact tomorrow because I can’t handle them alone when we take them out.”

Levy giggled. “We’re just taking them indoor skydiving.”

“Wait, you’re taking little kids indoor skydiving?” Mest blinked, surprised and then shook his head. “Well, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. Your children would probably be tenacious enough to find someone who would take them even if you wouldn’t.”

All three of them turned to Cana, who shrugged.

“I bet Natsu would do it. Lucy would whine at him over being irresponsible, but he’s taken their daughter out to do plenty of questionable things and she’s only seven!”

“The Salamander is not the standard you should hold us to,” Gajeel said, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “Just to be clear, he’s not the standard any parent should be held to. He’s pretty damn lucky he has Lucy, cus she’s the one keeping him from introducing their kid to the wonders of hacking up cars with golf clubs or some shit.”

“Jade got drunk and did that once,” Mest remarked. “She dragged Hisui into it too. I think they were twenty. From what I heard of it from Freed, Toma was pretty angry at them and was only glad they didn’t get caught. In fairness to them, it was an old junker car in a lot that was going to be compacted and scrapped anyways, but the fact Jade knew that while drunk doesn’t exactly make them doing that look particularly good.”

Gajeel chortled. “I can’t even imagine that, damn!”

“I’ve done worse,” Cana slyly put in. “It’s a lot of fun to vandalise highway dividers, you know. And I sprayed this one dick from a dark guild in the face with spray paint.”

Mest snapped his head towards her in horror. “Oh, dear, Cana, you did not.”

“I did,” She cheerfully replied. “It was pretty fun. Just me and Mira. You can ask her about it, she remembers it just as well as I do! Actually, her telling of it is even more fun because Master Makarov still doesn’t know we were responsible for it to this day! The Council couldn’t even confirm Fairy Tail had done it, either!”

Levy started wheezing from laughing so hard and Gajeel patted her shoulders, almost as if he were afraid she would implode.

“I don’t think I had a wild phase, to be honest!” She finally exclaimed. “But now I’m wishing I had! Between you guys and Erza’s team, you all seemed to have the most fun!”

“Given all the things they’ve managed to destroy in the past twenty years, some might argue too much fun,” Mest said, sipping his whiskey. “But point taken.”

Cana winked. “Don’t worry, Mest,” She joked, tickling his arms. “I’ll continue to teach you our ways, don’t you worry.”

Mest raised an eyebrow. “Oh, believe me,” He said with a chuckle. “I won’t.”


	13. Love as You Have Been Loved

“She’s held here?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mest nodded shortly and allowed the two leaders of the Rune Knight squadron to follow him. He had more than a few questions to demand answers from Cornelia. She had, thus far, been entirely uncooperative with the Council, to little surprise. Mest couldn’t help but think back to the report of what had happened.  _ Committed multiple counts of first degree murder and violently resisted arrest. _ He frowned, recalling Siegrain’s (and, frankly, Evergreen’s) remarks on the subject. Their confidence in the ease at which the case would be open and shut in trial was one that Mest doubted anyone could reasonably deny, but her intel would be far more useful than simply using her to remind everyone (and particularly any of those persons involved in dark guilds and dark magic) of the consequences of breaking the law. Besides the point was the disdain Mest still held for theatrics. Though Erza was quite quick to become cold when he broached the subject, Jellal’s arrest, and, indeed, the eventual granting of legal guild status to Crime Sorciere were prime examples. So far as he was concerned, Mest believed those actions had merely been a way to grant them favor with the public more than completely exonerating the people involved.

He ignored the royal family’s decision to grant all of them amnesty after the war.

“Stay here,” Mest ordered the Rune Knights, unlocking the door to Cornelia’s cell and stepping in.

The woman was staring at him contemptuously, her eyes quite narrow when he locked the door behind himself. He met her gaze and showed no emotion. Her cuffed hands curled into fists, her sharp nails digging harshly into the palms of her hands. After a few seconds, Mest noticed beads of blood starting to form from where she was clenching so furiously, and he knew as well as she did that she was trying to break through her magical restraints. Mest retained his perfectly coached face but he wanted so badly to smirk, childish as that felt to him. He was a full member of the Magic Council, now, and she was a common criminal. He reminded himself that he owed her nothing and she owed them everything. With that thought very much in mind, he frowned and sat down across from where she sat on her cot.

“We are willing to reduce your sentence if you admit involvement and cooperate with the authorities,” Mest began, his voice betraying nothing. She merely scowled at him. “And we will drop the charges of six counts of aggravated, first degree murder to three counts of second degree murder and three counts of attempted manslaughter. Of course, with those charges coupled with the obvious use of dark magic and the evidence that suggests you were harbouring a fugitive would put you behind bars for life. A fifty year sentence would be much more appealing, wouldn’t you agree.”

Cornelia scoffed. “You make it sound as if I would live through a sentence of that length.”

“There is, of course, always the chance of parole after twenty years,” Mest eyed her critically. “But you won’t be sentenced until you face trial and we would like to see if you will speak on the matter first.”

Cornelia pursed her lips. “Is that so?”

Mest brushed aside the dryness in her tone. “Do you know where Ivan Dreyar is?”

“No,” Cornelia coldly replied. “I have not seen him in quite a while.”

Mest raised an eyebrow. “Then why, pray tell, is there evidence submitted to the Council that you were harbouring him?”

Cornelia stared at him but her eyes went wide in realisation, an icy shock running through her veins.

“You,” She hissed. “You were the man with that imposter of Ivan’s step daughter that night in my shop.”

Mest said nothing in response and his face and posture offered no hint of answer to her words.

“Unbelievable,” She darkly said, disdain rising once again in her face. “And I thought the Council required warrants to investigate.”

“The woman who submitted that report to us was not affiliated with the Council,” Mest carefully said, standing up and walking back towards the door. “She merely had a hunch and ran with it.”

Cornelia laughed shortly and mirthlessly. “She may have,” The dark mage said. “But your involvement will not be hidden from the court...I will make sure of it.”

She was still laughing when Mest ignored her words and stepped out, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

* * *

“This is simply remarkable,” Toma looked over the documents Gajeel and Levy had brought with them. “I had no idea this was within our records. I never imagined there was this much to be found among my family’s records.”

“I hope this is what you were looking for,” Levy said, glancing towards the top of the paper the retired king was reviewing. “Some of these documents had a bit of damage, possibly from exposure to fire, so the translations may not be completely accurate. I had no idea your wife had come from another kingdom. Caellum is quite far from Fiore, isn’t it?”

“She had left her country following the fall of their monarchy,” Toma explained, briefly smiling when his eyes fell on the small portrait of his late wife he kept on his desk. “Our kingdom still has good relations with Caellum’s parliament today, though there certainly are some people who resent our kingdom for giving their royals refuge. But I was never going to risk letting her family get killed, and my father had done everything to support that in the last days of his reign. None of us expected for me to have to inherit the throne so...so soon, however. His death...it came much sooner than any of us had anticipated.”

“Nice of him to have protected your wife’s family,” Gajeel said, sharing a smile with Levy. “That was a pretty bold move of him.”

“Arguably, it was the most controversial thing he did in his nearly sixty year reign,” Toma chuckled. “I was much older when I ascended the throne than him. He had only been twenty, and in a time of great peace. Frankly, most of my reign was in peace, with the exception of the war with the Empire. I don’t regret for a second relinquishing the throne to Hisui, though. There is quite a bit I admire of my father, but I did not want to die like him; working until I finally passed away was never something I sought.”

“If I may say so, that’s a lovely way to view things,” Levy smiled. “I’m sure if your wife were here now she would be so happy to see everything you have become and brought through.”

Toma looked to her in surprise. “Thank you, Miss Redfox,” He briefly fell silent, his eyes shifting back to the portrait of his wife. “I do wish she had been able to see her son and daughter grow up. It was so cruel, the way fate turned on her when Hisui was so young and Freed just barely old enough to remember her.”

Levy nodded. “No parent should ever lose the chance to be with their children.”

“Yes, precisely,” Toma sighed. “I like to think she would have been moved by Hisui’s coronation. Laxus, of course, is not of any royal or noble families but he had been her husband of nearly a year by then and was well aware of the traditions. During the ceremony, as you know, after the, in her case, queen is officially crowned the monarch, their spouse takes the oath of the king or queen consort. Laxus, much to the surprise of most of the people and, certainly to Hisui herself, knelt to take the oath of the king consort.”

Levy’s eyes lit up. “I remember that!” She exclaimed. “The papers and the net couldn’t believe it!”

Toma considered that. “Well, frankly, Freed and I were quite shocked too,” He said, then going on. “The fact he took up the tradition, something she had intentionally not brought up with him because she had thought he might take the thought of it badly is truly beautiful to me.”

“Definitely made Laxus look less like the tough ass most of us in the guild always thought he was,” Gajeel remarked. Levy sharply elbowed him, giving him a pointed look but Toma, much to her surprise, laughed. 

“I can believe that,” The retired king said. “As for that day...I’m sure Jade recalls it as well as I, but, apart from the birth of her daughter and her wedding day, I have never seen Hisui as emotional as she was in that moment. She certainly let it show after it was only them and the closest family friends. I won’t lie and say Laxus and I always see eye to eye but, for a man I always had thought of as arrogantly proud, he managed to stun me. He didn’t simply kneel before his queen, he knelt before his wife. There’s something in that which cannot be properly described.”

“Of course,” Levy fell quiet, unsure of what to say. “I don’t mean to pry, your majesty, but are Laxus and Hisui doing okay? I’m sure the events of late have been quite hard on them.”

“They are,” Toma replied. “But I...I do worry. With his father on the loose...I know he is more terrified than ever for Hisui and their daughter...and, of course, their unborn child. I sincerely hope his fear will be for nothing...but I won’t deny that I live in constant concern that things will take a turn for the worse and, after everything they’ve been through, that is the last thing I want.”

* * *

“Are you doing alright?” 

Jade stepped into the main room of her and Sieg’s home in Crocus to find her mother looking wistfully over several photographs on the mantle, behind which was the oil painting of the ocean she had inherited those five years before. Belno turned around in surprise and then nodded shortly, giving her daughter a small smile. She could see the tension that had not left Jade’s shoulders, and the way her daughter kept fidgeting with her glasses. Jade glanced towards where her mother’s fingers lingered on the mantle, just by which was a photograph of her and Hisui from just a few months prior. Belno looked almost as if she were about to say something but, then, Lana Marie ran into the room from upstairs and almost immediately tackled her mother, hugging her tightly. Jade laughed and ruffled her daughter’s hair. Belno couldn’t help but smile more herself. She startled a bit, however, upon hearing quiet footsteps coming into the room. Jade turned around quickly, Lana Marie still holding onto her, and laughed softly upon seeing her husband, who came over to her and briefly looped an arm around her waist, chastely kissing her for a few seconds.

“I’m perfectly well, Jade,” Belno said after a moment. “You might want to push your shoulders down, though. They seem to be at your ears half the time.”

Jade sighed and rolled her shoulders back, at the same time reaching up to adjust her glasses again.

“I’m glad,” She finally said, glancing at her husband. “I know….you probably are still mad at Makarov.” 

Siegrain nodded and picked up their daughter, who immediately started to poke at the tattoo above and below his right eye. He chuckled and allowed it, though he was watching his wife in concern. Lana Marie, thankfully, did not seem to notice.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t say that I’m happy with him,” Belno frowned for a few seconds in thought. “He had absolutely no business telling you or Laxus about what happened between me and Ivan, and I have no justification why in God’s name he would breathe a word of it to Sieg and Hisui.”

“With Ivan on the loose, it’s understandable that he would….want to clear things up,” Siegrain mildly offered. “You heard, of course, of what he has spent years trying to do to Laxus and Hisui. I imagine Makarov, knowing how fearful Laxus is of something happening to his wife and their children, thought this was the best way out. Besides, you never did actually tell us of it, not in any sense that could conceivably called --”

“If he learns of this, he will not care what I said or didn’t,” Belno sharply cut across him. “And that is exactly why I am wary of this entire situation.”

“At least for now the devil’s not knocking at our door,” Jade muttered, bitterness rising in her chest. “I’m glad you told us, though. Since none of us are in danger the way we would have been when we were younger, none of us have to do a goddamn thing he says.”

“You have always favored digging your heels in and being sharp, haven’t you?” Belno eyed her daughter and then shook her head. “Yes, I suppose there is something to be said for that, but I would not put anything past him. I’m afraid none of you, not even Laxus though I imagine he has the best idea of what Ivan is capable of, know how deep his cruelty can sink.”

Jade crossed her arms. “I may not have dealt with him,” She said, her heart beating fast in her chest and her stomach sinking. “But you and I both know what I went through.”

Belno sighed. “I know,” She said ruefully. “And what she did to you in the course of your relationship was horrible, hence why I was so relieved when you began seeing Sieg after. You were manipulated, torn down, and I know how hard that was on you because you were only seventeen when you started seeing her but, even with the similarities, what happened between you and her was quite different from what happened between me and Ivan. Yes, those three years were awful...but you never had a child to worry about during that time, or a marriage you were desperately trying to preserve.”

Jade looked down at her feet, guilt picking at her.

“Why’s mommy sad?” Lana Marie looked at Siegrain with wide eyes and he hesitated, coming over to his wife and resting a hand over her back.

“I was only nineteen when I married Ivan,” Belno glanced out the window where a light rain storm was starting to pick up. “Believe me when I say I know the consequences of being too young. I am not trying to shame you, Jadelyn, nor am I trying to say you went through nothing. I know you understand this better than most would...and, honestly, that’s what breaks my heart the most.”

“I’m sorry, Belno,” Siegrain let out a heavy sigh. “I know….with all recent events considered that there is probably quite a bit returning to your thoughts.”

“That would be a fair assessment,” She replied, surprised by herself when she realised she had been crying and, quickly, she brushed those tears aside. “When I left Ivan and was unable to take Laxus with me like I had wanted….I had sworn I wouldn’t let such a thing happen to any of my children if I were to ever have more. When you and your brother were born, I…well, I’m sure you well know of how I tried my best to protect the two of you. After your father was killed...that only strengthened that. Losing him, then Percival, and then having to abandon you and, as it felt, Laxus for a second time...it was the worst experience of my life by far.”

Jade tightly hugged her mother, unable to hide that she was crying and her tears were fogging up and staining her glasses.

“I’m just glad you’re still here, mommy,” Jade whispered, her soft, high voice breaking. “After everything.”

Belno gently hugged her daughter back. “I am too.”

“Meemaw hug!” Lana Marie yelled, squirming out of her father’s arms and running over to join in her mother and grandmother’s hug. “Mommy hug!”

“We’ll tread lightly,” Belno told her daughter after she released her. “After all,” She sent Siegrain a pointed look. “There is quite a bit more at stake than there ever has been.”


	14. Mirage

“Are you going to tell her?”

Mest did not look up from the books he was paging through on his desk, ignoring the nearing sound of footsteps and Siegrain’s voice. He didn’t even need to ask what the man was referring to in order to know exactly what he was pressing him on. Irritably, Mest realised that he already knew the way Siegrain was looking at him; not quite a scowl but not a smile either, as if he were trying to not seem annoyed or amused, that he was masking his emotions completely. Something in that bothered him, and it certainly stood as a reminder, as far as Mest was concerned, of how the man had gotten so far. He was well aware of Jade’s influence, too (and in his mind it was often a negative influence, given her almost dangerously impulsive tendencies). Mest had no doubt that Siegrain was as ambitious as his wife, albeit in a much different line of work, and he felt that cold nature in everything. Usually, it didn’t bother him. Right now, that was very much not the case.

“And risk tampering a prime witness of her behavior?” Mest eventually replied. “She did, admittedly, misname her at first but she was operating on hearsay until we got into that shop. Cordelia, Cornelia, whatever the hell the woman’s name is. It doesn’t matter. Cana is a prime witness to her behavior either way and I am not going to tamper a witness before this case goes to trial.”

Siegrain raised an eyebrow. “You do understand that you technically have a conflict of interest here, don’t you? Cornelia, after all, is apparently the aunt of your wife, and --”

“You have no right to play that card on me, Siegrain,” Mest finally looked up, his face dark. “Given that, now, everything to do with the royals is a conflict of interest for you.”

Siegrain merely crossed his arms. “What are you talking about?”

“Cut the bullshit,” Mest snapped, then shaking his head. “Belno confessed to me, Cana, Gajeel, and Levy that she is Laxus’ mother.  _ Your  _ wife is now in the royal succession as a result. I hope you haven’t forgotten that.”

Siegrain frowned. “Jade has absolutely no desire to rule Fiore, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Of course she doesn’t,” Mest agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t seriously associated with her family. You always have been. You’ve been married to her for what, ten years now? Do you really expect anyone to believe you’re not tied directly to everything to do with the Norwiches?”

Siegrain fell unusually silent, uncomfortably aware that Mest had a point.

“I’m not going to listen to you if you’re going to get on me over something that you are just as guilty of,” Mest went on. “But, if you have any other disagreement with me on the matter, feel free to make it clear. I’m sure you’ve got quite the list. Jade and Cana may be friends, but you and I are certainly not. Never mind that you and I have fought on seventy five different fronts at least. I’m not entirely sure I can think of a single time where you and I have agreed on a matter.”

Siegrain stiffened. “Cana has a right to know that she’s related to this woman before she testifies against her,” He said coldly. “In your position, I would never keep something like this from Jade. She’d know immediately, no matter --”

“She really has been a bad influence on you,” Mest sighed. “Are you even considering the severity of the situation? This woman killed multiple people in cold blood and was harbouring  _ your  _ father in law, who is a violent, high profile criminal at large. Cana is one of the only people who can give testimony to her behavior before that incident and the court is going to demand that testimony. If she is tampered with, her entire testimony will be thrown out. Are you out of your mind, or do you just no longer care so long as you preserve your position?”

“Sometimes what’s right is not going to look perfect,” Siegrain bitterly replied. “I think you’re the one who cares far too much about optics here.”

Mest stared at him in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“If she ever finds out you knew about this and didn’t tell her, she’s going to be furious,” Siegrain warned him. “I can’t and, more to the point, won’t force you to divulge any information but I do think when and if Cana finds out that any anger of hers will be rightful.”

Mest shook his head. “Obviously,” He said shortly. “You have absolutely no idea what you’re speaking of.”

* * *

All was quiet when Ivan arrived in Era. In the distance, he could see the imposing offices of the Magic Council. A sense of primal rage rose in his chest. He was almost certain she was there, or, at the very least, her daughter or son in law were. He didn’t particularly care. Either way, he was going to find where she was. There was quite a bit he had to demand of her, both for explanation and, of course, there was the reminder of what she had to lose if she dared try anything else. Ivan also wanted to ensure he got her alone. If there were witnesses, he knew he would be done for. He had heard plenty of Cornelia’s arrest in the papers and on the news and over the net. If she did ultimately betray him, he was unwilling to take the risk of giving her even more reason to continue that.

He stopped short upon seeing cameras and he slipped into the shadows. Among the chaos, he could see a small woman in a red jumpsuit walking with a woman relatively taller than her and a little girl with blue hair. It didn’t take Ivan long to recognise them as his ex-wife, stepdaughter, and granddaughter. His stepdaughter kept his granddaughter close against her, shielding her from the cameras with her entire body and trying to shield herself with a rather large bag she held in front of her face. He watched as his ex-wife walked with her to a cherry-red pickup truck and helped his granddaughter into her carseat in the back, buckling her in as her daughter climbed in herself. Once they drove off, he watched her eye the car until it was too far in the distance (Ivan presumed returning to Crocus) and ignored the people around her. He was unsurprised. She had been high profile for years, and surviving what everyone had assumed was certain death half a decade earlier only seemed to elevate that.

Nevertheless, he followed her until she walked into a hotel, the cameras following her all the way. Ivan found his eyes growing all the more narrow, well aware that she was in Era for the next week due to questioning by “all members of the Ishgar Magic Council, bar the chair of the Council, Mister Siegrain Fernandes, who has removed himself from this matter due to his personal relation to Madame Norwich.” The newspaper article he had found that line in was in his pocket, and he had several others held too. Almost everything about her that he could gather, he kept record of. He had even managed to steal a pass key to her hotel room much earlier that day, pickpocketing it. Ivan cared little of the risk he had taken but among the chaos and in his disguise he had felt confident. That confidence was retained once the media had left the hotel and he followed her up. When he reached the door, he let himself in.

“How in the  _ hell  _ did you survive that attack?”

Belno felt her blood go cold upon hearing the voice that had entered her room. Immediately, her hands shaking, she pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Ivan did not react and merely slammed the door shut behind himself and stepped closer towards her.

“Since when do you carry?”

“Since I returned to the kingdom to find out you escaped prison,” She spat. “I have no qualms against shooting you to keep you restrained until you can be arrested.”

“I won’t be getting arrested today,  _ Bella _ ,” Ivan laughed mirthlessly. “I think you and I both know exactly why I’m here.”

With a quick blast of his magic, he knocked the gun from her hands and pressed her against the wall, restraining her with his hands and weight. She glowered at him, struggling against the force of his magic energy. Of all the things she hated about him, she had forgotten that, high among them, was the fact they were evenly matched in regard to their abilities. Even now, she was struggling to gather enough of her own magic energy to pry him off her.

“I haven’t the faintest clue what possessed you to let Laxus and his wench of a wife about you being his mother,” Ivan hissed, his hands tightening violently around her wrists. “Or why you told your own brat and her stuffy husband about that...but you will regret it if you let anything else out. I will not forget this, Bella, and you better not either. Be glad I’m willing to show you some mercy.”

Belno scowled. “If you call this mercy,” She hissed, finally breaking out of his force. “Then you have no idea of what the concept really is.”

She moved to try and restrain him, but he disappeared in an instant, leaving no evidence in his wake. Angrily, Belno cursed and glared at the spot from whence he vanished. If ever she had thought she’d hated another person, this was a reminder of the single person she despised the most and the reminder was very much unwelcome, to say the very least.

* * *

“I remember this…” Jade Norwich-Fernandes smirked and pulled down a dark purple dress, holding it up while Hisui flushed a little. “Oh, come on, you looked lovely in it!”

“I haven’t…” Hisui sighed. “I honestly haven’t worn that dress since a little before Lacey was born. I’m surprised you found it, that’s all.”

Jade shrugged. “I find all sorts of things. Just yesterday, after I dropped Lanie off at school, I found six different unopened shoe boxes in the back of my truck. I don’t even remember putting them there.”

Hisui laughed. “When did you buy six pairs of shoes and why would they stay in the back of your truck?”

“Based on the receipts, I bought them at different times, although the heels were probably in there because I had meant to change into them rather than my boots and simply forgot,” She paused for a few seconds and then winked. “One of them was from before I was pregnant, so they don’t fit me anymore. You still have small feet, so feel free to snag them.”

“Your feet aren’t….” Hisui trailed off in laughter. “Alright, Jade. As long as they aren’t the ridiculous five inch heels you wear, I’ll take them.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “My husband’s 6’6”. If I want to be able to kiss him without him helping me up, I need those damn shoes.”

“That’s big talk coming from the same woman I saw take a tumble down a flight of stairs in those heels the other day.”

Hisui and Jade both turned towards the door in surprise upon hearing Laxus, who stepped into the room and quickly came over to his wife, embracing Hisui tightly and kissing her cheek. Jade merely scowled at her brother and set her hands to her hips.

“Freed told you about that?” She exclaimed. “It didn’t even hurt that bad! Honestly, there was nothing about it that was concerning!”

Laxus raised an eyebrow. “According to him, it took you a minute to remember where you were going and he didn’t feel comfortable letting you drive because he thought you were concussed. And, for the record, Freed asked me to tell you that he thinks it's absolutely ridiculous for you to drive a large, red pickup truck when you live in a city. Apparently he’s never felt more stared at than when he drove you to get your daughter from kindergarten.”

“Freed doesn’t think I should drive period,” Jade replied, pushing up her glasses. “I’m quite responsible about it, especially since having my daughter.”

Hisui glanced to her nervously. “And that was only six years ago. What was it, fifteen years ago or so when you and I stole a car and then decided to beat it with golf clubs?”

“You --” Laxus chuckled when he saw the look Hisui gave him. “I won’t ask. I just can’t imagine you doing something like that.”

“It was a junker car,” Jade rolled her eyes. “I had told some guys in the apartment complex I lived at then that I had always wanted to do that and they pooled together about a thousand or so jewels to get that for me. These were the same people who usually got me food, let me use their WIFI, and --”

“Have you ever paid for anything?” Laxus cut in, both curious and very much concerned.

“Yes --” Jade started.

“No --” Hisui corrected.

“Hey!” Jade protested. “That isn’t fair!”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Hisui told her. “I never have either.”

“You have the excuse of being a princess,” Laxus said, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “Jade, on the other hand,” He sent her a pointed look. “Did Bell -- mom -- really pay for everything for you?”

Jade turned scarlet. “I...I don’t know! How am I supposed to know?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” He laughed and then shook his head. “See, this,” He joked. “Is part of why I still sometimes can’t believe you’re my sister.”

Hisui giggled. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Laxus,” She said, curling into his embrace. “But the two of you are far more similar than you seem willing to admit. I know it was shocking, but it does make sense.”

“It does,” Jade paused for a few seconds and then shrugged. “But enough of that, we have a ball to plan!”


	15. Reckless

“Mommy, look!” Lila tugged on Levy’s hand the second she and her mother stepped back into the hotel room. Levy quickly picked up pace to keep up with her daughter, who excitedly started jumping up at the window, pointing at the light snowfall. “It’s snowing again!”

Levy chuckled. “It is that time of year, Lila,” She lifted her up onto the couch so she could see without having to jump. “It comes quite often, but the chances of it staying more than a day or two without melting are slim at best.”

Lila pouted. “I want big snow.”

“Big snow?” Casper perked up from where he had been laying on the bed, watching TV. “We’re getting big snow?”

“Maybe,” Gajeel said, turning around and smiling at Levy from where he’d been finishing another set of translations. “Lila didn’t try to swim in a fountain today, did she Small Fry?”

Levy giggled. “Is she soaking wet?”

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and glanced at their daughter. Lila was still cooing at the snow, her tiny hands grasping the top of the couch, and her little legs bouncing in excitement There was a bit of snow dusting the top of her head and shoulders, but, apart from that, their little girl looked just as she had when they had left. He shrugged and leaned back against the chair, then reaching into one of the bags Levy had brought back with them. His eyes lit up in excitement when he saw that she had, in fact, gotten him screws to chew on. Levy kissed his forehead, shaking her head and squeezing his shoulder. He knew she would tease him for it later, something he always looked forward to, but he was more happy she remembered.

“If we get actual snow when we get back to Magnolia, I’m going to blame Gray,” Gajeel remarked, stretching out his arms. “Sounds like the kinda thing he’d do just ‘cause he got bored.”

“Ah, yes!” Levy mimicked Gray’s voice the best she could. “Sometimes I just have to remind people of what we need! You know what we need? The cold!”

Gajeel chortled. “You might wanna work on your man voice a little more, Small Fry. You still sound like you’re just doin’ a funny voice.”

“Whoever said that wasn’t my intention?” Levy teasingly retorted. “Maybe that’s how I think he actually sounds!”

“You’re silly, momma!” Casper giggled, looking up from watching cartoons. “Do daddy’s voice!”

“She can’t,” Gajeel playfully punched Levy in the arm. “She’s tried too. Lev-Lev can’t get that close, but it’s fine! She tries.”

Levy rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to annoy me?”

“You don’t seem particularly annoyed,” He remarked with a shrug. “You’re still smiling, aren’t you?”

Levy started to argue, but fell short, settling to set her hands to her hips and jokingly scowl at him for a few seconds.

“I’m right!” Gajeel clasped his hands together in triumph. “Besides, Mest said just about the same the other night! You and Cana are terrible at mimicking us, I’m sorry! It’s cute, but you two didn’t sound anything like us!”

“You two didn’t either!” Levy exclaimed through laughter. “Honestly, I --”

“Now, now, there’s no reason to be like that,” Gajeel put his hands up. “We were all joking around. You know I just like to mess with you Lev!”

He reached into the box and started to chew triumphantly on a screw. Lila, who had started watching her parents upon becoming bored with the snow, started laughing.

“Daddy’s silly!” She declared. “He does that to keys!”

“He’s done that to plenty of things,” Levy ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Oh, Lila, how did you get leaves stuck in here?”

The little girl shrugged. “Play!”

“I’m going to need to give you a good bath tonight,” Levy shook her head, slowly picking the bits of leaves stuck into her little girl’s hair. “You did get quite a bit of mud on your shoes too.”

Lila glanced down at her feet, squinting at them and inspecting her socks before shaking her head.

“I’ll clean them later either way,” Levy tapped her nose. “You always seem to get dirty whenever I take you outside. It’s almost like you go looking for mud!”

Lila giggled. “Mud is fun! Snow is fun!”

“She’s going to make a mess of things when she’s older,” Gajeel remarked, chuckling when he looked over to their son, who had taken to spinning in circles to try and make himself dizzy. “Think our kids are going to be known for blowing shit up ‘round the guild hall? ‘Cause I might be a little disappointed if they don’t destroy things.”

Levy smirked. “I don’t think your mother or brother in law will appreciate it.”

“Sieg’s secretly amused by them, I know it,” Gajeel waved his hand dismissively. “Jade’s probably going to let their daughter join Fairy Tail when she’s a teenager and she and the princess are going to be little arsonists.”

“I doubt Lacey has arson in her,” Levy paused for a few seconds in thought. “Well, at least not right now.”

“She is only two,” Gajeel reminded her. “But it’s there. That girl is going to be as destructive as the Salamander.”

“I cannot believe you’re taking bets on the princess and your niece,” Levy shook her head and kissed his cheek. “Don’t tell anyone I think you’re right.”

Gajeel winked. “Don’t worry, Lev. I never do.”

* * *

“Your majesties! There’s something you ought to see right away!”

Laxus paled, immediately concerned for his daughter though he let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing that Lacey was still sleeping in Hisui’s arms. Lana Marie, hearing the way Arcadios had spoken, whimpered and clutched onto her father’s leg. Siegrain picked her up, wishing Jade were back already; she had gone down to the wine cellars with Mira but he felt suddenly rather inadequate without her. She was as anxious as their daughter could be, and had always been better at calming her down. A sense of dread pooled in his chest when Arcadios motioned for him and Freed to follow as well. When he realised where they were going, everything in him went cold, fear setting in rather quickly. Freed cast a nervous look towards him, seemingly just as unsettled. Things suddenly felt very, very wrong and there was no way to explain it. When they stepped into the frigid darkness of the wine cellars, that feeling was only exacerbated, even when the low lights flickered on.

“We have no idea what happened,” Arcadios said calmly. “But we’ve already called a doctor. There’s no way to truly explain this. It’s bizarre.”

Their eyes adjusted to the lights, they took in the room. Just a few seconds later, Hisui let out a small gasp, twining her hand tightly around Laxus’. In the corner, Mirajane was shaking, huddling against herself. Freed rushed over to help her up and took off his over cloak, wrapping it around her while she shivered. It was then they saw, on the floor just a few feet away, bare feet and a pair of heels beside it. Siegrain set down Lana Marie in shock, and Laxus took his young niece’s hand, realising what his brother in law just had. The woman laying face down, unconscious on the floor was Jade Norwich-Fernandes, her hair an utter mess, the right side of her red jumpsuit torn near the ankle, and her glasses askew. Siegrain ran over to his wife, his hands badly shaking. He quickly pulled her into his arms and held onto her, relaxing only a little when he found her pulse. He paused, however, his eyes going wide in horror when he realised her magic energy seemed far weaker than usual.

“ _ Cariad _ ,” Siegrain briefly brushed his forehead against hers before standing up slowly. “This probably isn’t the best place to treat them.”

“You can take her up to our suite,” Hisui told him, quickly catching up with his step, Laxus only shortly behind her. “I’m sure she’ll be alright, Sieg. She’ll wake up soon, I’m sure of it.”

“‘Sui’s right,” Laxus agreed, briefly exchanging a worried look with his wife. “She’ll be fine.”

Mira, still rather dizzy, mumbled something to Freed, and the two of them stopped while Laxus, Hisui, and Siegrain all but ran up the stairs, Lacey was stirring in her mother’s arms but, thankfully, did not quite wake up. Lana Marie, terribly confused and anxious, kept trying to get past her aunt and uncle to see her father but couldn’t quite push through them despite being rather small herself. Finally, once they reached the room, Hisui laid Lacey back down in her crib and gently kissed her forehead when she saw her baby girl was starting to stir. Laxus held back Lana Marie in the doorway while Siegrain laid Jade down in the bed, sitting down beside her and looking about ready to cry. Hisui tiredly probed her forehead, her mind reeling. Seeing Jade was alright, Laxus let Lana Marie past and the little girl immediately ran over to her father. She all but latched onto Jade once she had climbed onto the bed, hugging her mother tightly and squeezing her eyes shut.

“Mommy?” Lana Marie sniffled when Hisui gently tugged her off her mother, worried that Jade would be rather startled if she awoke to that. “Is mommy okay?”

“Your mother is going to be fine,” Hisui told her, helping her down. “Lana?” She loosely embraced her niece. “It’s going to be okay. You needn’t worry about her, alright?”

The six year old shook, tears still streaming down. “I want mommy.”

“Lanie, listen,” Siegrain sighed and knelt down to his daughter’s height, lightly resting his hands over her shoulders. “Jade is sick right now, and she needs to rest. You know what that’s like, don’t you? Think you can let her rest?”

Lana Marie nodded, startling briefly when Siegrain lightly brushed her tears away with his sleeve.

“You’re a brave girl,” He told her. “And Jade is too. You’re so much like her. She’s going to be so proud of you, I know it.”

Laxus looked worriedly towards his sister, taking Hisui’s hand. She squeezed it tightly, chewing at the inside of her cheek.

“This wasn’t an accident,” The queen whispered. “Someone attacked her and Mira.”

Laxus suddenly looked to her in horror. “No…” A terrible thought dawned on him. “Could it really have been him?”

“He’s gotten into the palace before,” Hisui quickly grabbed his other hand, seeing that he was trembling. “I’m not in danger, Laxus, and neither is Lacey or the baby.”

“You don’t know that,” He pulled her tightly against him, his fingers treading quickly through her hair. “If this was him, then it’s the second time he’s gotten into the palace.”

Hisui felt one of her hands brush against her belly before she had even realised she had moved. Laxus reached over, and pressed his lightly over top of hers, hoping to soothe her.

“He’s not going to get away with any of this,” He murmured. “We’ll find him. He’s going to get reckless soon enough.”

Hisui bit her lip. “And what if he already has?”

“We’ll handle it,” He softly kissed her, tenser than ever. “I promise.”

  
  
  
  



	16. After

“This is highly disturbing,” Kagura stared at the report in disbelief. “How would anyone have gotten into the palace to do something like this? I understand she has a pattern of reckless behaviour and has ended up in situations before that would be considered...perhaps unusual, but I doubt this could be something she did to herself. I do, however, recall last year, that incident where she and Bickslow were caught trespassing. Didn’t the two of them end up setting off coloured smoke bombs in downtown Crocus? I certainly remember the retired king being rather entertained by the spectacle.”

“That was only one time,” Lyon said, shrugging. “And has nothing to do with this. Consider that Jadelynn Caitlin Annelise Norwich-Fernandes is not by any means weak as a mage. She has always been able to use her magic to a reasonable extent, such as when she used it to distract from her escaping her mother’s home the five years ago during the assassination attempt. While I do think she could be defeated in a fight, and probably fairly easily, the amount of magic energy that had been drained from her was not conducive to what she would have lost fighting someone.” 

Erza frowned. “That’s true,” She agreed. “And, from what we have heard so far from Princess Mirajane and Prince Freed, neither her highness nor Norwich-Fernandes know what happened. And, by the sound of it, her highness is sick. As for Norwich-Fernandes…”

“The fact Siegrain put in for a leave of absence immediately after is evidence enough that his wife isn’t well,” Sting said, shaking his head. “He hasn’t said anything on the subject, but I don’t think he would have done that unless something were seriously wrong.”

“That I would agree with,” Mest said, frowning. “Has she regained any of her memory? Or has Princess Mirajane?”

“Not that we know of,” Meredy said, swallowing hard. “But we aren’t entirely sure what happened still. Really, none of it makes sense right now. I know it has only been a few days, but it’s deeply concerning. It seems obvious they were attacked down there, but who would have done that while also being able to get into the palace?”

Evergreen’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. “I can think of a person who would have that capacity, would be more than willing to do it without hesitation, and would then be capable of escaping undetected,” She said coldly, a hiss to her voice. “Ivan Dreyar.”

Kagura’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “He’s a fugitive, Evergreen,” She reminded her. “I doubt that he would take that risk. I know there have been rumours that he had attempted to harm the Queen about a month or so ago, but I don’t think he would be so stupid as to take that sort of risk. If he had already attempted to do something in the palace, he would know how much security would be around the royal family, and especially because Queen Hisui is with child. He’s cruel and arguably mad, but I don’t believe he is stupid enough to attempt to do something that reckless.”

“It’s not reckless if you know you can get away with it,” Evergreen irritably replied. “Keep in mind that Princess Mirajane was in such a state of shock that she couldn’t recall what happened and Norwich-Fernandes was completely unconscious. Based on what the doctors told us, and given how much of her magic energy had been drained, she would not have been aware of what was happening.”

“That’s true,” Erza mildly agreed. “Besides, she’s a celestial spirit mage and none of her keys were with her at the time she was found. She wouldn’t have been able to do much even if she had wanted to fight whoever attacked her and Princess Mirajane.”

“That doesn’t mean it was Ivan Dreyar who attacked them,” Sting uneasily said. “And, besides that, we have no idea where he is. Even if we did know where he was, there’s no guarantee that we would be able to catch him right away, let alone pin him for this.”

“But Ivan Dreyar is a person who would definitely want to harm the royal family,” Meredy shook her head. “He’s the only one with a motivation to do something like this. I would have no hesitation charging him with two counts of violent assault and one count of conspiracy to overthrow the government.”

“That can’t be determined yet,” Mest said, sounding rather detached. “But this does align with some of what we have already heard of the woman who had been giving him harbour. Let us be cautious...because we have no idea how serious this could be.”

* * *

“Where is she?”

Belno breathed a sigh of relief the second she stepped into the room to find her daughter conscious, albeit looking rather sick and laying in bed. She and Sieg had been moved just down the corridor from Laxus and Hisui’s suite, and both the king and queen were there now, along with little Lana Marie who was curled up against her mother, babbling to her. Siegrain, next to her, kept his hands tightly intertwined with his wife’s. Hisui was pacing, looking particularly nervous, and Laxus watched her, trying to process through what they knew now himself. Lacey was sleeping on the sette next to her father, occasionally rolling over in her sleep but safe. Laxus hadn’t let her out of his sight since what had happened just two days before, and he had no intention of starting. He hadn’t left Hisui’s side, either, terrible fear for her and their children pervading every aspect of life.

“Good Lord, Jade,” Belno looked at her daughter, her brow furrowed in concern. “Are you alright? You don’t look well at all.”

“I still have a fever,” Jade pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes. “And I can’t walk very well right now. I’m rather dizzy whenever I stand up.”

Siegrain squeezed her hand. “We’re here for you,” The forty three year old Wizard Saint murmured.

“It’s been snowing, mommy!” Lana Marie added, bobbing her head excitedly. “Daddy took me and Lacey out with Laxus and Hisui! It was fun!”

Jade managed a small laugh. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Lanie.”

“And Lacey says she’s going to have a little sister!” Lana Marie went on, jumping up and grabbing her mother’s arm. “Can I have a little sister too? Please…..”

“I’m not sure that’s….likely to happen, Lanie,” Jade said, loosely wrapping an arm around her daughter, who looked down in disappointment.

“Also, we’re having a son,” Laxus put in, giving Hisui an affectionate squeeze. “Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m right.”

“You still have a month to go!” Hisui exclaimed, blushing. “I have no idea whether or not you or Lacey are right quite yet!”

“I’m going to assume Laxus will be right,” Siegrain said, looking rather amused. “I insisted to Jade through her entire pregnancy that we were going to have a daughter, and it certainly looks like I willed Lanie into being a girl.”

Lana Marie grinned at her parents, squeezing her mother’s arm tighter.

“He’s not doing quite that,” Hisui giggled, leaning into her husband’s embrace. “Don’t deny it, Laxus. You’re still trying to prove a point to my father.”

“I never said that,” He replied, pausing briefly to chastely kiss her. “If anything, Toma keeps suggesting that. He’s never going to let it go.”

“In fairness to Toma, I was almost certain Sieg was going to be wrong,” Belno sent her son in law a pointed look. “He wasn’t, but it was good fun irritating him about the matter.”

Siegrain blinked, thoroughly embarrassed. “Was I really that insistent?”

“Yes,” She told him.

“Absolutely,” Jade agreed, smiling a little when he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Is that an apology?”

“Perhaps,” He replied, sighing when he saw their daughter starting to climb on her again. “Lanie, your mother is still sick. Try to be careful with her.”

Belno nodded and finally sat down beside her daughter, loosely embracing her after a moment of hesitation.

“What happened?” She finally asked, looking rather worried when she saw how Siegrain tensed and tightened his hands around hers.

“I…” Jade looked away, blinking back tears. “I don’t know.”

“It was Ivan,” Laxus said, looking between his wife, daughter, and his sister’s family in concern. He pulled Hisui closer when he felt her tense. “I’m sure of it.”

Belno turned to him in horror. “No. He….how would he have gotten into the palace?”

“I don’t know,” Laxus gently started to rub Hisui’s arm, trying to reassure her. “But I’m almost certain it was him.”

“Who’s Ivan?” Lana Marie asked, her eyes wide and a little scared.

Jade bit her lip. “He’s….”

“He’s your grandfather,” Siegrain told her. He paused when he caught the upset that flashed across his wife's face. “Well, your step-grandfather.”

“This is because of me….” Belno probed her forehead in horror. “I...I’m so sorry, I always knew he was dangerous but --”

“Bell --” Laxus cut himself and swallowed hard. “Mom,” He finally corrected. “It’s not your fault.”

“You misunderstand me,” She shortly replied. “He found me the other day in Era. He was probably near me when I was with Jade and Lana Marie --”

“What?” Jade immediately pulled her daughter tightly into her arms and fought back tears. Siegrain wrapped an arm tightly around her and began stroking her hair.

“-- Eventually he found me, and he certainly knows that none of you are….in the dark about what happened between me and him anymore,” Belno sighed, looking completely exhausted. “And, frankly, I doubt any of us are safe anymore.”

* * *

“Cana?”

“Careful! You’ve got a lady at work here!”

Mest ducked out of the way and quickly took and put on the goggles she threw his way. Seconds later, several firecrackers went off. He started laughing, not at all surprised. Silently, he cursed out Siegrain for what he had suggested, a bit of guilt starting to rise in him every time he remembered that he was keeping something so important from Cana. He had spoken with Cornelia twice since he had found out about her connection to her wife, and he felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about the things she had said, suggested, and even joked about. Something about her felt so wrong, so sadistic, yet so nonchalant. He had no idea what to make of her. The trial was a few weeks away, and the situation was still so confusing that he had no idea of what to make of it. Mest watched Cana continue to set off firecrackers, rubbing his neck in thought while she continued to excitedly set them off.

“How many of these have you got?” Mest finally asked, forcing a bit of a chuckle when she passed him a couple of shots. “And where exactly did you get them?”

“I bought them down at the market,” Cana winked and turned around to kiss his cheek and then throw back a trick shot. “It was pretty damn fun. I got some doughnuts too. Thought you might want some sweets, you know?”

Mest jumped back when she threw back two at once. “Please don’t set anything on fire.”

“I’m not going to,” Cana waved her hands dismissively. “I’ve been playing with explosives since I was a kid. You think we didn’t have access to all sorts of shit in the guild hall?”

“I believe it,” Mest took back a shot and let her wrap an arm over his shoulder. “But it sounds to me like you might have been more thrill seeking than some of the rest of them.”

“Well, sometimes it got boring!” Cana smirked. “Even though Makarov has always been eccentric! He did let us run around and do all sorts of dangerous things.”

“I don’t want to know,” Mest shook his head. “But, you know what? At least he hasn’t ever gotten indicted on criminal charges.”

“Wasn’t he on trial just last year for shooting fireworks off the top of the guild hall?”

Mest managed to laugh for real, this time. “He got a heavy fine for disturbing the peace, but it was ultimately let go. On the other hand, Kagura certainly wanted to make things as difficult as possible for him. She was rather annoyed by Siegrain’s amusement by the situation.”

“When isn’t Siegrain amused by us in the guild?” Cana shrugged and stretched out her arms. “He has been for years. Of everyone on the Council, he’s always been the most lenient with them.”

“You have no idea how many people were annoyed by that,” Mest paused for a few seconds in thought. “The way I heard it, plenty of people could not believe it when he said things like ‘I happen to like those idiots’ and whatnot.”

Cana grinned. “Well,” She said, tickling his shoulders. “You have to appreciate that about us. You and I both know we’ve always been good at being charming.”

“I’m not sure I would say everyone in the guild has gotten away with things because they were  _ charming _ ,” Mest remarked, feeling guilty once again while she continued to tap against his shoulders. “But you all are definitely skilled at keeping out of trouble.”

“We’ve gotten good at it over the years!” Cana wrapped her arms around his neck and winked. “You’re pretty lenient for someone on the Council too, you know…..but I think you and I both know Siegrain has done…. _ things _ with Jade when they’ve been alone in his office before.”

“And who’s to say we haven’t done our own….mischievous deeds?” Mest smiled when she kissed his cheek. “Perhaps not in Era...but we definitely have during….well, didn’t we almost get into trouble for starting a dumpster fire when we snuck off during the Grand Magic Games two years ago? We were definitely lucky they assumed it was Natsu.”

“He probably would have helped us!” Cana laughed, finally starting to walk with him back to their apartment. “If he had known what we were doing, that is.”

“He would have,” Mest agreed, smirking. “Perhaps we should invite him next time….”

He barely heard her reply, his thoughts all but screaming in his head.  _ I’ll tell her soon enough,  _ Mest told himself.  _ Just not tonight. _


	17. Crashing

“Are you sure you want me to go back to Era next week?”

Siegrain Fernandes sighed upon his wife nodding and curling up against him, her head on his shoulder and one hand brushing against his chest. He kept one arm wrapped loosely around her, still surprised by the physical intimacy she had seemed to crave in the past two weeks especially but more than willing to support her. Their six year old daughter, Lana Marie, was on her father’s other side, watching her mother’s every move with wide eyes. She giggled when Jade reached over to tap her nose and ruffle her hair, and she hugged her mother nearly every chance she got. Siegrain tried not to focus on the difficulty he had with her in the past few days, more than once having reprimanded or taken his daughter out of situations (particularly in school, where multiple times in the past few days alone he had been called in because she had been “acting out”) and there was no lack of stress that came with it. Still, he let it go. He knew that she was probably just upset about her mother’s condition, and she was only six. Seeing how sweet and worried she was every time she saw Jade softened him, and he was more than happy to simply be there with them both.

“It’ll have been nearly a month,” Jade said tiredly, shifting slightly to lean up and kiss his cheek. “I’m able to walk most of the time, now, and I’ll be fine here. My mother even said she’d stay with me to help with Lanie.”

Lana Marie’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Meemaw is going to stay with us?”

“Yes,” Jade smiled. “I thought you might be happy about that.”

“I don’t have to go back until you’re completely well,” Siegrain gently said. “And you’ve barely been eating. I don’t want you to get sick, m’dear.”

“I’ll be fine,” Jade shook her head. “I promise, Sieg. I’ll be alright. You’re the chair of the Magic Council. It wouldn’t look good for you to be absent from such a high profile trial.”

Siegrain raised an eyebrow. “And you are my wife, Jadelynn. You’re --”

He paused upon hearing the doors creak open, his eyes narrowing when he saw his brother but even more so when he saw the woman with him. Jellal put up his hands in surrender, having absolutely no desire to have an argument with Siegrain. He was well aware that his twin brother was going to be annoyed enough when he saw who he was with. Sure enough, the second Ultear swaggered in after him, Siegrain took in a sharp breath, looking rather annoyed. Jade, to the surprise of her brother in law, rolled her eyes and giggled a little, which was not much of a consolation to her husband. Lana Marie, more confused than anything else, looked between her parents and her uncle, trying to figure out what was going on. Ultear hugged the little girl the second she was within reach, taking a small step back and letting her go when Siegrain, looking particularly annoyed, stood up and gently tugged his daughter back, away from her and towards her mother.

“You haven’t given me that look since we were dating,” Ultear remarked, laughing a little. “Siegrain, you really need to relax a little. I would have thought Jade had taught you how to do that.”

“Did you really have to say that in front of my six year old?” Siegrain scowled. “What do you want, Ultear? I don’t imagine you would come all the way to Crocus and have to go through the spectacle of getting permission from the royal family just to make a few asinine comments about me and my wife.”

“I have an idea or two about what really happened two weeks ago,” She said, leaning against the bed post with her arms crossed. “And it actually relates to that crazy woman the Magic Council arrested.”

“It does?” Siegrain frowned. “I have to ask: how do you know about that?”

“I’m not stupid,” She replied. “Cornelia, actually, used to be a contact of mine. I haven’t spoken with her in about...two, maybe three years now, but she has known Ivan Dreyar for decades. She even knew about what happened to your mother in law.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us you knew what happened to my mother?” Jade exclaimed, pushing her glasses up in disbelief and pulling her daughter a little closer to her. “What the hell --”

“I didn’t know at the time,” Ultear snapped, then taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. “But, before I upset you two further...can I hold her? Hi, Lana! I’m your aunt, Ultear!”

“You have got to be kidding,” Jade muttered, probing her forehead.

“She knows more than she sounds,” Jellal put in with a heavy sigh. “Really, she does.”

Siegrain glanced between his brother and then nodded coldly. “Alright,” He said, coming back to his wife and taking her hand. “What do you know?”

* * *

“I don’t know what we should do,” Laxus buried his face in his hands, Hisui beside him. She slowly rubbed his back, even more concerned for him than she knew he was for her. “I don’t think we’d be necessarily safer if we left Crocus, even for a little while, but I’m terrified that something is going to happen to Lacey, or you, or the baby and that it will be my fault.”

“I know, I know,” Hisui murmured, worriedly looking to him. “But, Laxus,” She gently cupped his cheek and let him kiss her forehead. “I’m scared too, but none of this is your fault. It never has been, and I just wish you could see that.”

He stared at her for a few seconds and then wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close in his arms. “I do believe you, ‘Sui,” He whispered. “It’s just hard not to worry when things are like they are now.”

“You’ve kept me, the baby, and our little girl safe,” Hisui softly reminded him. “More than once. I know you’d do anything for us. You’ve done so much since even before we were married.”

Laxus nodded weakly. “I’m sorry, ‘Sui,” He quietly replied. “I just can’t help it...I’m terrified for you and our family, and nothing is going to change that, even if we can find my father. If he ever did anything to you or our kids, I would never….”

“He’s tried before and never managed it,” She shifted slightly in his arms, her head resting on his chest. “I worry a lot about it too, especially now, but…”

“It’s out of our control,” Laxus bit his lip, his fingers lightly grazing over her hair. “That’s what I hate the most about it.”

Hisui squeezed his hand when he looked over to where their daughter was sleeping soundly in her crib, curled up with her favourite toy bunny in her arms and a blanket lightly draped over her.

“You’re a good father,” She said with a smile. “Lacey adores you, and I know the baby will too.”

Laxus turned back to her and then leaned down to press a few light kisses to her baby bump. “I hope so,” He said. “I’d do anything for you and them.”

“You always have,” Hisui tightly embraced him again, letting him lightly cry against her. “Oh, Laxus,” She sighed. “You’ve always been a wonderful husband, and even before we were married you were softer than you ever let anyone show. If there’s anything I can do to make this easier, I’ll do it. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I have never thought of you as anything like your father and I never will. You are nothing like him, and you never have been.”

Laxus managed a smile and affectionately kissed her. “I love you so much, Hisui,” He cupped her cheek. “I won’t let anything happen.”

“You never have,” She whispered, moving in to kiss him again but pausing when she heard the door slowly creak all the way open. Laxus shifted a little, too, still holding his wife securely in his arms when her father nervously stepped in.

“I hope I’m not disturbing either of you,” Toma glanced uncomfortably towards his son in law. “But I heard something rather disturbing, about what happened just over two weeks ago with Jade and Mira. Apparently it has, in fact, been confirmed that it was Ivan who had orchestrated it, if not the person who did it. Ironically, I heard this from perhaps the last person I expected to, Ultear Milkovich.”

Hisui shared a knowing look with Laxus, who seemed to be caught somewhere between annoyed and relieved to finally know.

“I’m going to assume she told Jade and Siegrain first.”

Toma nodded. “That would be correct.”

“Is he…” Hisui hesitated. “Ivan’s not in the city, is he?”

“Not as far as anyone knows,” Toma said, unflinchingly meeting Laxus’ gaze. “But I wanted to check….to see if either of you know anything else.”

Laxus stiffened. “Are you suggesting I had something to do with this?”

“Please don’t tell me you are,” Hisui said, squeezing Laxus’ hand.

“Of course not,” Toma said calmly. “I was simply wondering if, by chance, he had heard anything, maybe --”

“You don’t trust me,” Laxus fell silent for a long moment. Hisui stared at him in disbelief.

“No, no,” She said, taking his hands tightly in hers. “Laxus, I’m sure that’s not at all what he means.”

“I know you would never do anything to put Hisui or your kids in danger,” Toma said, then shaking his head. “I just wondered if perhaps you had heard something I hadn’t. You do, after all, have more….contacts.”

Laxus sighed. “I know just as much as you do,” He said quietly. “And, if there were anything else I could do….I would do it in an instant.”

Toma nodded shortly. “Of course,” He said grimly. “I suppose we really can only hope for the best.”

* * *

Even before Cana had been brought forth to give testimony, Cornelia knew the case against her was strong. She was very much aware of the way each member of the Magic Council was eyeing her while she was brought in, still restrained and unable to use her magic. There was Kagura, whose long, sharp nails tapped menacingly against the wood behind which she and the others sat behind. There was Erza, who showed almost no emotion but was so clearly tense, her hands clasped tightly together and a rehearsed face presented towards the woman before them. Cornelia almost wanted to laugh, rather amused by the spectacle. She knew full well that she was likely to be found guilty, but she didn’t care. She was never going to tell them what they wanted to know, anyways, and she was already prepared to enjoy humiliating one of the Council’s members as soon as her niece was brought forth.

The mere thought of it was already making her smirk, and she didn’t care what that could possibly make them think of her. Cornelia continued to observe them, rather enjoying herself. Evergreen was staring down at her with unparalleled contempt, and she knew full well that stemmed from her connection to Ivan. She didn’t care. Then there was Sting, who seemed annoyed by every move she made, and by every sign of her refusal to bend a knee. She caught a slight glimpse of pity from Meredy, who was shifting a pen in her hands. Cornelia was almost certain she was imagining it. For any of them to feel any semblance of pity for her was almost too damn shocking for her to believe. She quickly set it aside, her eyes landing on the haughty gaze of Lyon Vastia, who had an annoyed look almost as cold as Sting’s. They, however, were not who Cornelia cared about.

She took a look at Siegrain first, a small smirk creeping onto her face. He, she imagined, had no idea that she had planned what had happened to his wife and Princess Mirajane nearly two months before and that it had been executed perfectly, if not by the man they suspected she was so heavily involved with. No, Ivan, she knew, was not the culprit there though she was sure he was who the royal family and the Council would believe to be the most likely suspect. They had no idea that the perpetrator was a former official she had known from the Empire, albeit a low ranking one, and they had no idea that the person in question had already escaped the country. They would likely not be back in Fiore, and Cornelia didn’t care. Alexander had done what she had needed him to, just as he had done what Ivan had asked him to those five years earlier. He had failed then, but not here. Her smirk fell, however, when she caught Mest’s gaze.

_ You and I both know what you’re trying to do here….and I will not let it work out for you. I will humiliate you, and I will do so without any hint of remorse. I don’t care what happens to me, but I will get a great deal of joy out of watching you have to face consequences too. _

“Cana Alberona, you have freely presented yourself as a witness against the actions of Cornelia Regina Arimin. What do you have to say of --”

“I have a rather grave objection, Mister Fernandes,” Cornelia cut across Siegrain and he narrowed his eyes, catching the glint in her eyes and the smirk that had not left her face. “Cana cannot give any testimony against me. She’s a blood relation. Aren’t you concerned --”

“Blood relation?” Cana turned towards her, looking absolutely stunned. “That can’t be right. I don’t think I’ve ever --”

“Your dear mother never wanted me to have any contact with you,” Cornelia started laughing. “But, of course, I never did want you when she died. I let that fool Gildarts take you...though he wasn’t exactly a good father, now was he?”

“Blood relation or not, plenty of --” Siegrain began coldly.

“No, see, she should have known this and it should be considered before anything she says is taken as fact or not,” Cornelia looked up at Mest in contempt. “And that man, a member of the Council, has known this for over a month and told me on multiple occasions that he would not tell her….her, his  _ wife _ .”

Cana looked between her and Mest, her hands shaking. “No.”

“You are opening yourself to being charged with witness tampering,” Kagura sharply warned her. “Even if what you are saying is untrue.”

“I assure you it’s not,” Cornelia smirked, seeing the pain on Cana’s face and the guilt that flashed across Mest’s. “And all of you seem to know it.”


	18. In the Cover of Darkness

Cana’s head was still spinning when she sat down, a barrel of wine tucked under her arms and her stomach churning. All around her, she could hear the chatter and life in the guild hall. She could see Gajeel and Levy, who were on “sabbatical” from the ongoing job they had taken in Crocus, with their kids, chatting with Lucy and Natsu about their upcoming odd jobs in town. It was so normal. Cana only wished she could feel that right now, but her thoughts were still swirling.  _ Cornelia _ . It all came back to that bitch. The trial itself, in her mind, now, was a blur. She barely remembered what she had said, how she had said it, or how Cornelia had been oh-so-willing to admit to the crimes she had committed. Some of them were even crimes she hadn’t been accused of. The Council had been blown out of the water by the way she had spoken, and the apparent joy she had seemed to get out of it. Part of her was still in disbelief over the whole affair. Cana told herself it was only because she hadn’t dared think any relatives of hers were still out there beyond her father, and that the accusations Cornelia had directed towards the Council were almost too horrible. 

She had returned to Magnolia from Era almost immediately after her testimony. Everything about her had felt wrong somehow, and it made her sick. The trial, she knew, had lasted two more days and Cornelia was ultimately sentenced to fifty years, according to the papers and everything that had blown up about her connections on the net, but Cana couldn’t help but find it odd that her accusations towards the Council were barely mentioned at all. Every day since, and it had been nearly a week, now, she had expected to walk into the guild hall and see her name somewhere in the articles on the case, but there was nothing. It was odd, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Mest had something to do with it. She hadn’t seen her husband since she had returned to their apartment in Magnolia, and they hadn’t talked much since either. He was, after all, finishing a rather hectic week and looking through several investigations, not the least of which was related to the disappearance and return of Belno Norwich.

And yet something about it all just felt so damn wrong.

“What are ya thinking so hard about?”

Cana looked up from where she had been sitting in surprise, her eyes widening when she saw her father. Gildarts looked about as hassled as usual, his clothes a bit shabby, his hair a mess, and his typical, large bag on his back. He set down his things, quickly grabbed and paid for a barrel of booze himself, and smirked at his daughter. Cana rolled her eyes and took a long swig of wine herself, well aware that her father was probably going to challenge her to (and lose) a drinking game, and she was very much welcoming of the distraction.  _ The last thing you need is more time alone inside yourself.  _ She had so much she wanted to ask Mest when he returned, from whether or not Cornelia had been telling the truth to the simple question of if he knew should it be true what she had said. She didn’t want to believe he would have kept that from her, or that, really, any of them would have, though she knew there was a chance that Siegrain had known and kept it from everyone.

“Ah, come on, Cana, you’re usually chatty,” Gildarts rolled his eyes and took a long swig. “Something crazy happen during that job you took earlier in the week?”

“No,” She said, tapping her fingers against the table for a few seconds in thought. “Just thinking about the trial, that’s all.”

“Can’t imagine that was easy on ya,” Gildarts offered her a sympathetic look. “Especially because the Council can be a pain in the ass sometimes with all that bureaucratic nonsense. No offense to your husband, of course.”

Cana shrugged. “It was just stressful,” She said, trying to brush it off. “I’ll get over it. That lady was just...awful.”

“Yeah, she sounded like it,” Gildarts said with a frown. “None of those news reports sounded good. Who the hell works with someone like Ivan Dreyar?”

“That’s a good question,” Cana muttered. “I just….”

“I’m sure they’ll find out what she’s up to,” Gildarts shrugged, a dark look in his eyes. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. I doubt she’d ever come after you, especially now they’re throwin’ her back in jail.”

“Yeah,” Cana said, letting out a heavy sigh. “Hopefully that’s all this is.”

* * *

“You can’t be serious,” Laxus stared at Makarov in shock. “Ivan found her and threatened her? How the hell would he even know about what you told us?”

“I don’t know,” Makarov said, pacing back and forth before the fireplace. “But Bella barely even wanted me to tell you this.” 

Laxus looked pale, anger bubbling in his chest. Hisui reached over and squeezed his hand. Her mind was reeling too, and she was glad to see, nearby them, Lana Marie and Lacey playing happily, giggling and completely unaware of what was happening around them. Beside the king and queen were Siegrain and Jade, both of whom looked rather nervous. They were very close, though not quite touching, and Jade was staring down at her hands, anxiety written all over her features. Belno was speaking with Toma in his personal study, having made it clear to Makarov that she had absolutely no desire to say anything on the subject, not right now. Makarov had a great deal of disagreement, though he understood why. She was under a great deal of scrutiny, and Makarov knew full well that it was taking a toll on him. He sighed heavily, glancing over to where Freed and Mirajane sat across from Laxus and Hisui, Mira’s hand resting over his knee. All of them, Makarov knew, had more questions than answers.

“No,” Mira’s hands began to shake and she reached up with her free hand to run her fingers through her hair. “And he did this after watching her, his stepdaughter, and granddaughter? That’s….”

“It sounds like him,” Freed said coldly, frowning. “I do not like the sound of this. It’s absolutely awful.”

“Yes, it is,” Makarov shook his head. “Obviously, it’s not a good situation. I hate to say it, but I do believe that Ivan may have wanted to do harm to more members of the family beyond Bella. As you all know, he does have a great deal of anger towards her and I don’t know what to say about this other than what I already have.”

“But you say he definitely is here?” Hisui pressed, twisting her hair in her hands. “In the city, and perhaps even capable of making his way into the palace?”

“Yes,” Makarov grimly confirmed. “I’m so sorry about how much has happened in the past few months -- even just the past few weeks alone -- but it is important for all of you to know what things are looking to be. To not tell you would be irresponsible on the face of it.”

Laxus sighed. “Great,” He said dryly. “Is that all we know?”

“Regrettably, yes,” Makarov paused his pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. “I wish I had a more satisfying answer, but Ivan….”

“Has always been slippery,” Jade cursed under her breath, scowling behind her glasses. “I thought we all knew that after what happened during the X791 Grand Magic Games.”

Hisui glanced to her and then shook her head. “After he was sentenced, I never imagined he would ever leave prison,” She admitted. “At the time, Laxus and I both were sure he would never be at large again.”

“Which was a reasonable assumption,” Jade said bitterly. “We’d all be better off if he had just stayed that way. I wonder if he knows that.”

“Ivan has always gotten a great deal of enjoyment out of cementing not only his own ego but carrying through on the things he decides will be of any benefit or even of simply some use to him,” Freed paused suddenly upon feeling Mira squeeze his knee. He reached over, briefly, to pat her hand. “To him, this is nothing more than a game.”

“Of course it is,” Hisui narrowed her eyes at the thought but then sighed. “Damn it. If he lays a hand on my daughter or the baby, I will kill him myself. I’ve had enough of this.”

“I have too,” Laxus loosely wrapped an arm around her, and she tiredly rested her head against his shoulder. “I know that feeling all too well.”

“The truth is, like it or not, Ivan is going to continue to be an issue until he is apprehended again or dies, and I have no idea which will come first,” Makarov began to pace again. “Ivan is one of those people who truly believes he’s smarter, faster, and slicker than everyone else -- and that he will win or at the very least prevail at everything he does. It's the way he’s been for nearly fifty some odd years now, and I wish there were more to be done. Until we can do something, however….we must stay cautious because we all know what he’s capable of all too well.”

* * *

Ultear stepped out into the night, still hidden beneath the warm, dark cloak she had found herself wearing more and more frequently. She wouldn’t say she was happy, per se, to be associating with those in the criminal underworld again, but, then again, she was more than happy to be working with Jellal (and, unofficially, given their positions, Meredy and Erza) again to take some of them down. He was on the other side of town, having obscured himself with magic and cloaks too, at a gambling den and bar where Erza had indicated some of the recently jailed woman’s connections were suspected to frequent. Ultear, however, was looking for one person in particular, to both contract and manipulate them. She hadn’t heard the name in ages, but when she had finally gotten it out of Jade, who had only told her after she had threatened her, Ultear found herself more than a bit curious. With a snort, she recalled the abject horror Siegrain had expressed when he had returned about a half hour later to learn Ultear had suggested ‘playing with’ her Arc of Time to get the answer from Jade without making her say it outloud. She hadn’t been (entirely) serious, after all.

It didn’t matter, though. She had the information, and was almost certain he would be at this particular enterprise.  _ Alexander Alberona.  _ From what she had gathered, he was Cornelia’s ex-husband and the one who had gotten her involved with people like Ivan in the first place, though Ultear was shocked by how little information on him existed, even in the back channels. She knew full well that he was meant not to exist, that he was meant to be something of a ghost. He certainly did well at that. Nevertheless, she knew enough about him other than just what he looked like to track him down. With a small smirk, she let out a sigh of relief, well aware that Jade was probably too freaked out by their conversation (and the course of that conversation) to tell Cana what her mother had told her. The idea of Belno being angry with her, though, probably did that well enough of itself, at least, Ultear was rather afraid of her and couldn’t imagine  _ anyone  _ not being at least somewhat afraid of her. The fact this man -- who had fully intended on killing her by himself -- wasn’t left her uneasy. The kind of power a person like that would have to wield, to her, was immense and far greater than her own.

_ And you had weaseled your way onto the Magic Council,  _ her thoughts whispered when she entered the room and began to approach him.  _ By no means can you be considered weak. _

“I’ve heard good things about you,” Ultear dropped down a bloodied axe on the table before him, on top of which she also dropped her purse. He looked up, his lips flat together and his face emotionless. “That you are the pinnacle, even, of espionage and if someone wants a person dead that you’re the person to come to.”

“Sure,” He said gruffly, pushing her axe and purse back towards her side of the table, rolling his eyes when she sat down across from him. “What’s it to you?”

Ultear snorted, leaning back and crossing her arms. “You know Fiore?”

“I know of the country,” He replied, slamming his flask back down on the table and snapping his fingers at a nearby staff member. “Why’d someone here care about Fiore? Nobody’s given a damn about that kingdom around here since our monarchy dissolved and their king married our ‘princess’ and that was….well, forty, damn near fifty years ago now. Hell, that was a good bit before I was alive. Why do you care? Last I checked they’re basically irrelevant other than in trade.”

“They are,” Ultear said slowly and offering him a faint smirk. “The strongest country in Ishgar. Being the strongest on a continent….that is no small feat, now is it?”

He met her gaze and then took another drink. “What do you want?”

“I need information on a certain person in that kingdom, a criminal, actually,” Ultear phrased her words carefully, her heart starting to pound in her chest. “Because, frankly, I’d like to contract them.”

He scoffed. “So you’re sayin’ you’re wantin’ to contract me to find somebody else you wanna contract?”

“Exactly,” Ultear shortly replied. “Specifically, I’m looking for Ivan Dreyar.”

He eyed her up and down, a dark look in his eyes. “No way in hell.”

“I have more money than you think,” Ultear pushed her purse towards him, meeting his gaze through lidded eyes. “More, even, than what’s in that purse…..Alexander.”

He stiffened. “And where did you hear that name?”

“I have connections,” Ultear said smoothly. “Do we have a deal?”

He eyed her narrowly. “On one condition,” He said coldly. “You give me information on a person of interest to me in Fiore. You’re clearly well traveled, after all. I presume you know much about the world.”

“And who might that person be?” Ultear pressed, sounding rather bored though she felt discomfort continuing to build in her chest.

“A woman I very much would like dead,” He leaned over the table, leaving their faces mere inches apart. “Belno Norwich.”

Ultear hesitated but nodded. “You have yourself a deal.”


	19. Nothing Hidden Shall Not Be Revealed

All was quiet when Ultear slipped into the shitty apartment building she had been given directions to, a (largely forged) file tucked under her arm. She tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sight of the mess that seemed to envelop it, or the smell of something rotting. Part of her was sincerely concerned she was about to step into a gruesome scene but, to her shock, the unit Alexander had told her to meet him at was largely clean and untouched by whatever the hell was happening outside of it. Almost immediately, suspicion washed over her in waves. Ultear quickly reminded herself that she had seen (and done, and been involved with) far more uncomfortable and disturbing situations than this but distinct unease hung over her regardless. In the harsh lighting of the unit, Alexander looked far different than he had in the low light of the establishment she had initially tracked him to and for a few seconds it felt as if that location were much more preferable to whatever the hell this was.

He was just as pale and gaunt as he had before but, much to her surprise, he was almost meticulously well dressed and his hair was neatly tied up in a bun on the top of his head. Catching a glimpse of herself in a mirror across the room, Ultear swore she looked far more like a criminal than he did. The thought sent cold shivers down her spine and she tried not to dwell on it. She had no desire to reassociate herself with her past, but, apart from being mostly covered in heavy, beaten cloaks, she felt she was looking at that version of herself once again. Quickly setting that thought aside, she sat down across from him, putting the unmarked file between them. Alexander paid little mind to it at first, instead watching her intently and finishing his beer before he even bothered to glance at it. Ultear met his stare unflinchingly, though her mind was very much elsewhere.

Something about his mannerisms did not sit well with her, and it had nothing to do with how cleanly he was able to present himself despite everything she knew about him. Ultear noticed how his fingers were almost spindly, and slowly crept across the table like spiders to reach the file. She could see, too, how his eyes seemed to betray nothing and his face was almost permanently fixed into a scowl. When he had the file completely in front of him, he simply stared at it for what felt to be the longest time, the unease lingering in the air. Silently, Ultear willed him to open the damn file and forced herself not to do anything that could possibly reveal her identity (that being, specifically, resisting the urge to “play” with her Arc of Time). Still, when Alexander did finally open the file, a small smirk began to creep onto his face when he saw the many attached photographs of Belno, the majority of which Ultear had either taken from newspaper cuttings or (stolen copies) of family photographs from Jade and Siegrain before she had left Fiore. She only hoped he wouldn’t think too hard about how she had compiled her “sources.”

Now, of course, she had known full well what she had come to Caellum to do, and there had been no way in hell that she was going to risk losing access to the link she had found. Alexander had to know she had come looking for him and had prepared it all for that purpose, but he didn’t seem to know where she had gotten the information in the first place. Hopefully, he wouldn’t care. Ultear stared at him with a frown, pausing every few minutes to examine her nails, tap her fingers against the table, or shift ever so slightly. Her breathing was slow and calculated. He didn’t seem to notice her still being there, much like how he hadn’t seemed to notice the file before him just a few minutes before. He was certainly a master of detachment. Ultear watched him closely out of the corners of her eyes, unsure if staring at him directly would arouse suspicions from him. Nevertheless, if he noticed, there was no sign of this, let alone any sign of being bothered by it. He continued to thumb through and read notes in the file, finally clasping his hands together and meeting her gaze, though leaving it open.

“Interesting that she has been hiding in Fiore this whole time, out in the open,” Alexander laughed and grabbed his beer, taking another swig. “How the fuck did she manage to do that? I coulda sworn I’d at least injured her well enough to cause her to die….even if I couldn’t prove it.”

Ultear gave him a tight smile. “I had thought her dead after that day too.”

“Ivan sure as hell was pissed I couldn’t prove she’d died,” Alexander muttered, slamming down his beer. Ultear did not move, even a few millimetres. “Though he probably doubted she’d survive much longer. Getting him information while he was held in maximum detention, though, that was the real issue.”

“How did you do that?” Ultear asked, eyeing him critically.

Alexander snorted. “Tellin’ anyone that is worth far more than my life. Sorry, but that’s goin’ with me to hell. Even a rich lady with intel like you ain't drawin’ that outta me.”

“I see,” Ultear watched him begin to thumb through the file again. “Is there anything you have questions about before we….get into your end of the deal?”

He looked back up at her and grunted, shoving the file back towards her.

“You say she’s currently hiding up north in Fiore?” He said, watching her closely. Ultear nodded evenly. “You know where she was before that, by chance?”

“She’s gone down to Crocus and Era,” Ultear said.  _ That’s a documented fact _ , her mind whispered.  _ Telling him that won’t compromise anything because you’re still throwing them off.  _ “Which is when she finally reunited with her daughter, and her adopted son. It seems that she decided it was finally safe to do so because so much time had passed. I imagine she hadn’t heard the news of Ivan’s...escape from prison.”

“She’d have stayed hidden and basically dead if she’d known what’s good for her,” Alexander gruffly remarked.

“She and Ivan do have an apparent animosity,” Ultear added, her voice and expression betraying absolutely nothing. “From what I could gather, they absolutely despise each other.”

“Let’s just say that anger is personal,” Alexander slammed the file shut, rolling his eyes when she did not flinch. “I don’t blame him. That bitch has shut down a lotta my business ventures in Fiore, especially during her time as a member of the Magic Council. Can’t believe she was only first put on the Council in...X782 I think it was. She did a lotta damage to our operations in the ten years between then and her disappearance. Hell, she was doing damage before that. I ain’t even quite sure what she was doin’ before then, but it was definitely detrimental to our business. Probably had something to do with the Rune Knights and other entities directed by the Council.”

“But Ivan will…” Ultear smirked. “He’ll be able to...help me with...a situation or two associated with that matter?”

Alexander grinned. “Oh, believe me, lady,” He said with a gruesome chuckle. “He’ll probably do so with pleasure.”

* * *

Mest knew the second he stepped into their apartment to find Cana, with several open books and a spread of cards laid out, that there was already a small, unspoken tension between them. He had suspected it would arise during Cornelia's trial, at least after her damned revelation. Even in the long calls between them over the week, he had been able to sense it. Guilt, yet again, was rising in him and he knew better than to lie and say it had all been kept from them by Siegrain, Kagura, and Evergreen (although that, certainly, wouldn’t have been unbelievable). In the back of his mind, too, he was still annoyed with how Siegrain had warned him that this could happen, and that he had been right. It was infuriating. Mest sighed, shedding his cloaks and kicking off his shoes before coming over to Cana, who patted the spot on the couch next to her. He managed to smile, sensing that, at the very least, she didn’t seem angry with him.

“Long week?” She said, setting down her cards and passing him a glass of wine. He nodded shortly. “You definitely need that, then. Honestly, Mest, you look like you haven’t slept.”

“I haven’t slept enough,” He admitted, rubbing his neck. “But don’t worry too much about it, Cana. I’ll be fine, especially since I don’t have to return to Era for a week or two.”

Cana smirked. “You blowing off work, now?”

“Hardly,” Mest replied, smiling a little. “I simply have some time to work away from Era.”

Cana laughed. “But are you going to do any of that?”

“I won’t try to neglect work,” He said, taking a sip of his wine. “But you and I both know there are times I feel the need to approach things in a different manner than the rest of my colleagues.”

“You’ve always done that,” She watched him for a few seconds but then sighed and hugged him for a brief moment. “It was definitely….weird here without you.”

Mest felt his stomach tying into knots. “I was definitely worried about you,” He finally said. “You sounded rather uneasy when we were talking. Did something happen?”

“That depends,” Cana sighed heavily and looked to him while she set down her drink. “I couldn’t help but wonder about what Cornelia said during the trial. I know you might not know, but is it true?”

“From what we could find, yes,” Mest fell silent, unsure of how to go on. “According to what records existed, yes, she is your aunt, though I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It was horrible how she...attempted to tell you.”

Cana rubbed her temples, briefly closing her eyes. “It’s almost too mad to believe,” She muttered. “I guess we do look similar enough and use the same kind of magic, but…”

“I’m sorry, Cana,” Mest leaned over and wrapped an arm around her, setting down his drink as well. “I don’t know what to tell you. It’s definitely crazy. I couldn’t believe it either.”

“When’d you find out?” Her eyes widened in worry when she saw the way he flinched. “Mest, are you alright?”

He took in a deep breath, discomfort settling in his chest. “I was going to tell you the truth after the trial,” Mest began slowly. “But she did it too soon.”

Cana stared at him in disbelief. “How long before did you know?” She finally pressed.

Mest sighed. “About a month and a half.”

Cana frowned. “Why?” She said quietly. “Why did you think it was better not to tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to risk it impacting the case,” He paused, his fingers tapping against his knee. “You were the only witness of her behaviour...I didn’t want you to feel like you were being forced to do something like this to someone in your own family, and --”

“She’s not family, Mest, she wasn’t even in my life,” Cana set her hand over his. “She obviously didn’t care about me. Why would you even think I’d feel conflicted about that when she’s clearly evil?”

“I wouldn’t say quite evil,” Mest said. “But certainly...manipulative and opportunistic.”

Cana eyed him closely for a long minute. Mest felt his heart drop again, the guilt once again showing itself.

“Look,” She eventually said, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “I’m not  _ happy  _ you thought you’d put something this stupid and buerecratic ahead of just telling me the truth but I guess I get it. I just...I can’t believe you’d keep something like that from me for that long.”

“I was going to tell you after --” He started.

“And it wouldn’t have changed anything,” Cana sent him a pointed look, her hand tightening over his. “I would have said the same thing I did if you had told me when you first knew as I had if you had waited. It was pointless, Mest, which is why I don’t understand….”

“I’m sorry,” He met her gaze and then shook his head. “It seemed right at the time. Clearly I was wrong, but…well, let’s just say it wasn’t exactly an enjoyable decision. Siegrain was actually annoyed that I didn’t tell you because, and I quote ‘I would have told Jade immediately.’ I swear, she’s been a terrible influence on him.”

Cana managed to laugh a bit. “Okay,” She said, offering him a half teasing look. “If you promise not to do something like this again, then I’ll let this slide because I’m sure Sieg made some ridiculous comment about something he told his wife that led Jade to do something reckless.”

“We’re talking about a woman who has almost no filter and thought it was a good idea to run across a busy highway at one point in her life,” Mest relaxed a little when Cana kept laughing. “Please tell me you haven’t done anything like that.”

“I’m not saying I haven’t done questionable things,” Cana shrugged. “But at least I’ve never tried that.”

Mest nodded, releasing his arm from around her, though he startled upon her taking his other hand almost immediately.

“Hey, you still have to make this up to me,” She teased. “How about you get your ass into the kitchen and make me some cookies?”

Mest raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you want? You want me to bake?”

“Well, bake and let me have a little fun,” Cana grinned. “That includes licking the extra batter out of the bowl. You do want to make this up to me, don’t you?”

“Alright,” Mest replied, standing up and picking up his wine again, Cana following suit. “So, late night baking it is?”

Cana winked. “And maybe throw a bit of sweet talking in there.”

Mest laughed. “If that’s what it takes,” He said, grandly gesturing to the kitchen just a few feet away from them. “After you, m’lady.”

Cana tapped his shoulder as she sauntered into the kitchen. “That’s the spirit!”


	20. Piece by Piece

“Enough, Freed. I’ve made my decision.”

Freed took in a deep breath to calm himself, and squared his shoulders. He began to follow his sister out of the advisory chamber and down the hall, his mind still reeling. He was still trying to mask his annoyance, but even he knew it was wearing thin. Ever since the meeting had ended, the two of them had been arguing the point, and he wasn’t quite done. So far as he could tell, she was acting too reserved and needed to be more blunt. Furthermore, though he didn’t say it, Freed had absolutely no faith in Ultear to handle the situation properly. He told himself he was likely being a bit harsh on her, but he couldn't shake his discomfort. There was something about the entire situation that bothered him, not the least of it being that they were dealing with people in another country. If things went downhill in any capacity, he feared the worst: another war. With how damaging the last one had been for everyone, too, the thought persisted and, he worried, was it possible that their more covert actions now would end up causing them more trouble than they could safely address?

"Hisui, if we just pinpoint Ivan's movements we can simply kill him, put all of this behind us," Freed caught up to his sister and followed her into the room she shared with Laxus. "Taking the chance on someone with as murky a past as Ultear --"

"Freed, I already put this to rest," Hisui said shortly, picking up Lacey from in her crib now that her baby girl had woken up from her nap. "I will not be discussing the matter further. My decision is final."

Freed shook his head while she carried Lacey across the room to change her, looking completely drained. Briefly, he felt guilty. His sister was not only the queen but pregnant, and had a hyper two year old; his conflicted feelings on the matter quickly shifted, however, when Laxus stepped in and took over with Lacey, kissing his wife’s cheek and letting her sit down. Between seeing Hisui bury her head in her hands from exhaustion and how concerned Laxus seemed for her and their daughter, Freed swallowed back what he wanted to say and merely consigned himself to crossing his arms. He had to bite it back further when he recalled what Hisui had said to him earlier.  _ All you seem to care about here is doing what you think Laxus would do, and you have no care for the actual gravity of it, let alone what actions to take and how to go about it.  _ Part of him very much wanted to say something, to see if she were right or wrong but he held himself back. Laxus would find out soon enough anyways, if he didn’t already know.

“It chilly daddy,” Lacey giggled when Laxus tugged her fleece dress and leggings back on her. “Cold! Cold! Cold!”

Laxus chuckled. “You’ll warm up soon, Lace, don’t worry.”

Lacey grinned when he picked her up and came over to Hisui, sitting down beside her, their little girl between them.

“Mommy sleepy?”

“Maybe a little,” Hisui curled up against Laxus and tapped their daughter’s nose, getting her to giggle more. “I’ll be alright, Lace.”

Lacey nodded and patted her mother’s head before waving frantically at her uncle, who had started pacing.

“Fwee!” She babbled. “You look silly!”

Freed turned towards her in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up. “Is that so?” He reached back and quickly began to tie his hair up into a low bun. “I should think your mother’s hair is sillier, given that it seems to be sticking up everywhere.”

Hisui blushed and sent Laxus a pointed look. He sighed, stole a kiss, and then smoothed out her hair with his hand.

“I’m allowed to miss my wife,” He said, giving Hisui a squeeze. “I’m sure you and Mira --”

“No,” Freed said quickly, looking embarrassed. “Absolutely not.”

Hisui snickered. “Who looks silly now?” She teased.

“Fwee!” Lacey declared. “Fwee silly!”

Freed rolled his eyes. “Bickslow is far stranger than me,” He told her. “You remember him, don’t you?”

Lacey nodded excitedly. “He took me to Games!”

“And absolutely terrified me,” Laxus said under his breath, eliciting a small laugh from Hisui. “Well? It’s not as if he’s the most responsible person and he was with our baby girl!”

“Evergreen was with her too,” Hisui reminded him with a smile. “And it was fine, Laxus.”

“Yes, it was,” He kissed her forehead. “Thank God.”

* * *

“Someone looks like hell,” Jade sighed and sat down across from Cana, reaching over and pouring herself a glass of wine. “And you usually are pretty damn put together.”

“The last few days have been...complicated,” Cana replied, glancing behind her. “Don’t you have to put Lana Marie to bed?”

“She’s already asleep,” Jade tiredly pulled off her glasses and set them down on the table, rubbing her eyes. “Thankfully. Sieg must have helped her get ready for bed. Honestly, I’m glad he did because I don’t think I have the energy in me to go up and down the stairs that quickly right now.”

Cana eyed her worriedly. “Are you sure you’re really better...after what happened, that is?”

“You sound like Hisui and Laxus,” Jade muttered, probing her forehead. “They kept suggesting Sieg and I move into the palace permanently. I don’t think I could handle that life. I just couldn’t. I’d much rather stay here, not too far from them, and in a row house so that my life can stay somewhat normal. I know they mean well, but…..well, let’s just say I still can’t believe Laxus is my brother.”

“Really?” Cana lightly teased. “Because I don’t think anyone in the guild will be particularly surprised by it when they finally hear about it.”

Jade shuddered at the thought. “Natsu will be unbearable.”

“Eh, he’s not who you should worry about,” Cana chuckled. “I’d be much more concerned about how Bickslow will act when he finds out. He’s never going to let you or Laxus ever live that down.”

Jade raised an eyebrow. “That’s a terrifying thought,” She said, her already high voice getting a little higher. “And Bix is already….strange enough about things as it is.”

Cana winked. “I’ll give you that. You would not believe some of the things I’ve gotten to see in the guild hall over the years. It’s  _ glorious _ .”

Jade laughed a little. “My mother has told me plenty of stories,” She said, shrugging. “I believe it.”

“Good,” Cana elbowed her the best she could across the table. “So, are you going to drink all of that bottle yourself, or are you going to let me have some?”

Jade rolled her eyes and pushed the bottle across the table. “You can have the rest,” She told her, starting to sip on her (decidedly full) glass. “I need to be functional tomorrow and that does not involve being hungover.”

Cana grinned and began to drink straight from the bottle, although she almost spilled it on herself when Siegrain stepped into the room from the stairwell, looking caught between surprised, amused, and vaguely concerned.

“I cannot say anything,” He said slowly, smiling at Jade when he sat down beside her, blinking at her briefly in surprise when she brushed her hand gently against his leg. “Are you alright, Jade?”

“Perfectly fine,” She said, giggling a little. “Exhausted, though. Cana is keeping me awake.”

“Hard to fall asleep when you have someone else jabbering at you,” Cana said, setting down the bottle and brushing her hair over her shoulder. “Besides, I’ve never known you to go to sleep before one in the morning.”

Jade squirmed. “That’s not true,” She said slowly. “Not all of the time, anyways.”

“Not all of the time?” Cana shook her head and tried not to laugh too hard. “Alright, Jade, if you say so. I’m sure Sieg, at least, tries to make sure you actually take care of yourself.”

Jade glared. “Hey!” She protested. “I do take care of myself! There’s --”

“Interesting to see you here,” Siegrain remarked, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “I thought you were still working in Magnolia.”

“I took a job in Crocus for a change of scenery,” Cana shrugged and then paused, eyeing him sharply. “I do actually have a few questions for you, though.”

Siegrain raised an eyebrow. “About...what?”

“About Cornelia,” Cana said shortly. “And my….family relation to her.”

Jade glanced between them and then quickly stood up. “I’m going to go lay down and read a book,” She said quickly. “You two….sort this out.”

Siegrain sighed and let her kiss his cheek before limping up the stairs. When she was gone, he finally spoke, though the tension in the air only grew.

“How much do you already know?”

Cana shook her head. “Not enough,” She quietly replied.

* * *

“Mom, we can help her!”

“For the last time, Wendy, I said  _ no _ .”

“But Chelia and I are 26 --”

“I’m not going to authorise this.”

“What if dad --”

“ _ No _ .”

Erza turned around to face her daughter, who crossed her arms in defiance. The two stared at each other for quite a while, almost unwilling to argue with each other further. Erza felt especially hesitant. She couldn’t quite remember the day she had first met Wendy, let alone the day Jellal had first met her, but it was still overwhelming to know that, from whatever time she had been torn away from, Wendy had been their daughter and their blood here proved as much. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was demanding her daughter not take any risks, remain safely in Fiore at all times, and generally remain out of trouble. Yet, she knew there was something to what Wendy was saying and, Erza knew full well, Chelia was perfectly capable too. Her daughter and daughter in law would probably be alright. Even Jellal had said he believed Ultear was doing exactly what she needed to in order to get reliable information on Ivan. Still, it felt wrong. This wasn’t for them to have to deal with, was it?

“There is no reason for you and Chelia to have to get involved in this situation, Wendy,” Erza finally said, starting to walk towards her office again. Wendy quickly kept pace shortly behind her. “It’s volatile enough as it is. Besides, Caellum isn’t exactly near, and --”

“We could make the trip in less than a day --” Wendy protested.

“-- only if you’re on a transport,” Erza let out a heavy sigh and then shook her head. “It would be completely inappropriate for me to authorise something like this, anyways, Wendy. All things considered, it’s too questionable.”

Wendy scowled. “But if Chelia and I are there, we can help Ultear deal with things and Ivan will be easier to subdue than he could be alone.”

Erza paused and turned around to finally meet her daughter’s gaze.

“I’m not denying any of that,” She said, straightening herself out. “At least consider how something like this may...look, especially considering that you and Chelia would be on foreign territory. If anyone other than Ivan gets dragged into this, and  _ four  _ citizens of Fiore are involved, we could be looking at a diplomatic crisis at best, or, at worst, all out war. If Ivan failed to be captured or killed in that struggle, we would lose track of him indefinitely if we ended up at war again. Besides the point, the last thing anyone in the kingdom wants is war, and that, I’m sure, is especially true for Laxus and Hisui. Please keep that in mind before you go and do anything behind my back.”

Wendy swallowed hard. “We wouldn’t be that reckless.”

Erza narrowly eyed her. “You understand what I’m saying,” She lowered her voice. “Don’t you?”

Wendy frowned but then quickly blinked in surprise.

“You’re saying you won’t stop us?”

“I’m saying I’m not authorising anything,” Erza replied. “But I never said you two are forbidden.”

“So, we can go?” Wendy pressed.

Erza glanced around, nodded shortly, and tightly embraced her daughter, patting her back for a few seconds.

“Find your father as soon as you and Chelia arrive,” She whispered. “And tell Jellal I miss him.”

Wendy took the papers her mother slipped her and folded them up, quickly dropping them into her bag.

“I will,” She resolutely replied. “Chelia and I will be fine, mom. And we all know dad and Ultear are more than equipped to take care of themselves.”

Erza sighed. “I know,” She said, lingering in the doorway to her office. “I just can’t bear the thought of losing him to something this shitty again….not after what happened.”

Wendy hugged her mother. “That was almost twenty years ago,” She reminded her. “It’s going to be fine.”

Erza managed to give her a smirk. “Given that you and Chelia are getting involved it better be.”


	21. Truth Whence One Is Gone

“Dad?”

Jellal nearly screamed upon the door to the creaky apartment open to reveal his daughter and daughter in law. He quickly relaxed, but did send them a dark look that caused Wendy to smile nervously and Chelia to start giggling behind her hand. They quickly shut the door behind them and followed him into the back of the apartment where there were a few couches, covered in blankets. He waited for them to speak after they sat down and uncomfortably looked through some of the papers Ultear had dropped off earlier that day. He tried not to think too much about that particular encounter. She had seemed especially annoyed and had dropped a few comments about something to do with an encounter she had with his sister in law and twin brother nearly a month earlier. Had they really been here that long already? It was almost too maddening to think about.

“Erza doesn’t know the two of you are here, does she?” He eventually said when neither Wendy nor Chelia seemed eager to speak. “Please don’t tell me she’s going to kill me when we get back to Fiore.”

Wendy shrugged. “She might if we fuck things up,” She said, a hint of bitter anxiety to her tone. “But, no. She knows we’re here….just not officially.”

Jellal raised an eyebrow. “Is that in the same way that your aunt and uncle didn’t ‘officially’ speak with me and Ultear about what she had found out before we left to come here?”

Chelia giggled. “Well,” She smirked. “I heard plenty about that and I’m pretty sure this is basically the same damn thing.”

“I mean, it is,” Wendy playfully swatted at her knee. “For the most part, anyways.”

“I’m surprised you even asked her to give you permission,” Jellal remarked, giving his daughter an almost amused look. “Given that you probably could have gotten the same result by leaving a note in the apartment for her that said where you were going and when you’d be back.”

“She wanted to ‘follow the rules’ or something like that,” Chelia rolled her eyes and gave Wendy a bored look and pouty eyes. “You’re a Fairy Tail mage! What about being part of Fairy Tail suggests that you ever follow the rules?”

“My mom is a member of the Magic Council!” Wendy protested. “This could look really bad if I were to get into trouble for something like this --”

“And you didn’t consider that it would look worse if she had known anything beforehand?” Jellal chuckled. “It sounds to me that you didn’t think this out too well, Wendy.”

Wendy buried her head in her hands. “Shit!”

Chelia mussed her hair. “It’s going to be fine!” She declared. “We aren’t going to fuck shit up! We’re going to find this creep that Ivan’s been lurking around with, and tie them both together with chains!”

Jellal set down the files and raised his eyebrows. “You, Chelia,” He began. “Are absolutely frightening. Like Ultear, but somewhat warmer.”

Wendy shuddered. “Ultear still scares me.”

“Scares you?” Jellal incredulously repeated. “Oh, Wendy, you haven’t even seen just how scary she can be. Believe me, she’s not just scary. She is fucking  _ terrifying _ .”

Chelia snickered. “And Erza isn’t?”

“She can be --” Wendy started.

“No --” Jellal exclaimed.

“I don’t think you count,” Chelia told him. “You know, because she’s your wife and all. But, anyways, yeah, she sort of knows but also doesn’t. She’s…..Schrodinger’s Cat!”

Jellal tried to restrain himself from laughing. “Please don’t ever,” He slowly started, still restraining himself despite his smirk. “ _ Ever _ ...just don’t ever tell her that.”

“She wouldn’t like it,” Wendy agreed. “Probably would compare it to what Gray and Natsu try to say when they’re arguing with her.”

“And they do that a lot,” Jellal mused, trailing off in thought for a moment. “Okay, then,” He pushed the files towards them. “If you two are going to be involved with this, you might as well go through those. Ultear dropped them off earlier today.”

Chelia nodded, almost excitedly grabbing the files. “They’re about that Alexander guy, right?”

“Him and Ivan,” Jellal confirmed. “Two very unpleasant people.”

“That’s an understatement,” Wendy muttered.

“And she doesn’t know you two are…..” He paused and then rolled his eyes. “Never mind. I didn’t even realise you two were going to be here, so hell if I know what she might. Hopefully she doesn’t know yet, though. I’d like to avoid whatever she’s going to have to say about it for as long as possible.”

“Same,” Wendy shuddered. “Remember when she and mom got in that spat last year?”

Jellal grimaced. “Ugh,” He muttered. “I still can’t believe the two of them nearly tore each other apart.”

Chelia looked between her wife and her father in law, her eyes wide in concern and her eyebrows rising and falling.

“Should I be concerned?”

“Yes,” Wendy said, reaching over and squeezing her hand.

“Not yet,” Jellal told her, then shrugging. “But, then again, you probably can’t overprepare yourself for Ultear. Not as far as I know, anyways.”

* * *

“Well! How much longer until you and Sieg finally cave and officially live here too?”

Jade turned around in surprise upon hearing Freed and her weak side gave out a little. She sighed and steadied herself against the stone stairs that led back into Mercurius, and her daughter looked up at her with wide, worried eyes. Laxus and Hisui eyed her in concern too, and Freed did so as well, though he seemed almost more nervous than concerned.

“I’m actually glad to see you, for once,” He laughed uncomfortably and Jade’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Is your mother doing well? Laxus and Hisui have been rather secretive about the --”

“You just want to know everything, it seems,” Hisui shook her head. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much. You could be…..far more persistent if you wanted to be.”

Laxus grimaced at the thought. “Don’t make me think too much about that, ‘Sui. He did enough when we were engaged.”

Hisui smirked. “That was an interesting time,” She agreed, laughing a little when Lacey started to play with her hair. “Do you need something, love?”

Lacey grinned. “Mommy hug!”

Laxus smiled when his daughter wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, her head resting on her shoulder. Hisui brushed her daughter’s short blonde hair away from her eyes and affectionately kissed her forehead.

“I’m not quite that difficult to live with,” Freed finally said, casting Jade a pointed look. “You don’t count. I have always been difficult with you. Actually, before your brother died, he and I often arranged things solely for the purpose of messing with you. I wish he hadn’t died the way he had though…..it really was unnecessary. I still can’t….well, let’s just say I can’t purge that day from my mind quite yet.”

“The way he had?” Jade coldly repeated. “You say that like it was an accident, not a brutal murder.”

Freed hesitated. “That wasn’t what I meant, Jade,” He said slowly. “More that…it relates to --”

“You’re hiding something,” Hisui narrowly eyed him. “Are you not?”

Freed said nothing, making no attempt to argue or defend himself.

“Since when do you have nothing to say?” Laxus asked, a sense of dread rising in his chest. “You usually insist on having the last word.”

“It wouldn’t…” Freed glanced back to Jade. “It wouldn’t be appropriate in these circumstances.”

"What," Jade narrowed her eyes too and took a step closer to Freed. "Aren’t you telling us?"

Freed squirmed nervously, seeing Lana Marie clutch onto her mother's uninjured leg. "Perhaps it's best I say nothing," He began. "In front of your daughter, that is."

"Freed," Jade hissed, pushing up her glasses and shifting her weight to her uninjured leg. "I'm not going to let this one go."

"You haven't ever let anything go," Freed shook his head. "You and Laxus are rather skilled when it comes to holding grudges but this --"

"I don't see any reason why you're being so secretive," Hisui looked to her brother warily. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

Laxus briefly tightened his arm around her and Lacey, and his eyes narrowed towards his brother in law.

"It's about Ivan, isn't it?"

Freed swallowed hard. "Yes," He finally said. "I'm afraid it is. It also," He glanced warily to Jade. "Of course, has to with the, ah, several murders of people in your family, including the attempt on your mother."

Jade's shoulders all but instantly tensed and she pulled her daughter closer to her. Laxus took in a sharp breath, his hand unconsciously moving over Hisui's baby bump to protect her and the baby. Lacey squiggled from the pressure but eventually stopped and curled sleepily into her mother. Freed tried to meet their gazes, but he was struggling. He had never intended for anyone, much less them, to know about what he had found out. If he were willing to be honest with himself, and at this point he didn't much care for the idea, he had known all along that one day it would be found out. He had hoped, however, that would be because of the Magic Council. Instead, he uncomfortably stood, looking almost petrified while they all watched him. It took quite awhile but, eventually, the thirty six year old prince found it in him to speak on the matter.

"The man from Tartaros that Ivan had solicited Percival Andrew Winston Norwich's murder from was the same man who had killed Colonel Ryan Edison Lysander Norwich," Freed explained, lowering his voice and trying not to pay much mind to the horror and anger that was so present on their faces. "He was also the same man whom Ivan would contract the attempt on Belno's life ten years after Percival's.”

Jade’s eyes went wide in shock. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“That sounds like him,” Laxus said darkly.

“Do you have any idea who this man is?” Hisui sharply pressed. “Or where he could be now?”

Freed let out a heavy sigh. “I'm afraid I could never find his name, but I did find," He sent Jade a pointed look. "That at one point you went by two names other than your birth name around the time of your mother's disappearance. Specifically, I found legal documents you signed as 'Rory Jean' and 'Fenella Lorch' though I assume that was to protect against Tartaros. To be honest, I was impressed, although it certainly --"

Without warning, Jade backhanded Freed, her sapphire and gold wedding ring cutting into his cheek. He let out a shocked cry but paused when he saw the upset and hurt in her eyes. Her glasses were starting to fog, too, from both the cold and the tears.

"You thought it was okay to leave me thinking my brother's murder was a tragic accident when it was directly connected to what happened to my mother?" Jade's high voice became unusually quiet. "Why didn't I deserve to know that? Why didn't you tell anyone? That's unforgivable, not to mention --"

"Say what you must, there's nothing you can call me that hasn't been said before," Freed shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jade, but it was not in my place to speak on the matter."

"Like hell it's your place!" She trembled and picked up her daughter, trying to warm her shivering baby girl. " _ What _ is wrong with you?"

Freed turned to his still-shellshocked sister and brother in law. “That’s not fair,” He said, a hint of desperation to his voice. “I did --”

“Freed, you should have said something!” Hisui stared at him in disbelief. “If only because it wasn’t just them who were in danger, it was us and our father because the three of us all witnessed what happened!”

“I’d tend to agree,” Laxus said, a slight edge to his voice. “And since when don’t you tell me things?”

Freed swallowed hard. “Look,” He said, regaining himself. “I did what I thought was right. Is that such a crime?”

“No,” Laxus grimy agreed. “But it does make dealing with some of the shit now worse...a hell of a lot worse.”


	22. Breaking

“Jade, please calm down!”

“That’s all you have to say?” She snapped, slamming down her communications lacrima on their bed, limping around it to lean against the wall. “Calm down?”

Siegrain sighed. “At the very least, you didn’t have to slap him.”

“Oh, that’s rich!” Jade rolled her eyes. “He had it coming!”

“I’m not saying he was right,” He told her. “I’m just saying that I think you --”

“Sieg, did you even hear me when I told you what --”

“I did,” He said calmly. “And there’s no reason to --”

“Sounds to me like you don’t understand at all!”

“Oh, for God’s sake, you don’t always have to be the smartest in the room!”

“Well, then what am I if I’m not?”

Siegrain fell silent, unsure of what to say. In some ways, he understood where she was coming from; of course it was a horrible shock to find out that there was more to what had happened to her brother and father than any of them had originally known. At the same time, he didn’t quite know what to think. Very much unlike his wife, he tended to think things through, only deciding once he was certain. Jade often acted exclusively on impulse, even to her own detriment, and he found himself wondering if she were truly angry only about the circumstances under which Freed had told her, Hisui, and Laxus what he had or if there were more to it. Spite, maybe even a simple impulse to dig her heels in felt like possible motivations and he worried. It didn’t help that Jade had been drinking more since then -- and it had only been two weeks -- and she had made herself sick. Siegrain immediately thought of their daughter, and how he had come home to Lana Marie immediately telling him that her mother had been throwing up most of the day and had nearly fallen down the stairs. She needed her mother, and the last thing he wanted was for something to happen to take Jade away from them. He feared they had come close enough already.

“Jadelynn Annelise,” Siegrain slowly stepped towards her, seeing that she had sunk down to the floor and was starting to cry. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course I’m not!” Jade looked up and pulled off her glasses, setting them down on top of the small table near her. Her eyes were already becoming puffy and red from the tears. “I don’t even know what I want anymore, from anyone, and I don’t know who to blame for all the shit my family has been put through in just the last fifteen years! My father and brother were murdered, my mother almost was, and you and I were barely able to have Lanie!” 

Siegrain knelt down beside her and let her sob into his chest. He could tell just by the faint whiff on her blazer that she was drunk and probably had been since well before he had gotten home. Belno had taken Lana Marie out that morning and he was almost certain that Jade had slept in and started drinking some point that afternoon. With a sigh, he started to lightly scratch her head and behind her ears, knowing it soothed her, and held her securely in his arms.

“I know it’s been hard, _cariad_ ,” He murmured. “I’m sorry. I’m only worried about you. I had hoped when your mother returned that was going to be the final piece for you to let go but…..but I imagine what happened in November to you and Mira has made things harder and I’m sorry I haven’t considered that as well as I should have.”

Jade shook, sniffling a little. “How the hell am I supposed to come to terms with this when I thought it was closed?” She whispered. “I thought -- for years -- that the people responsible were, at the very least, beyond the jurisdiction of earthly courts but, even if they’re not, Ivan caused all of this! My _stepfather_ caused all of this!”

“Mommy?”

Jade and Siegrain both suddenly turned towards the door, where Lana Marie was standing with her grandmother, who looked horrified. Without even asking, he knew they had heard.

“I’m never going to be free of him,” Belno glanced to Lana Marie and lightly tapped her shoulder, letting her know it was okay for her to run and embrace her parents, which the six year old did. “This is all my fault.”

* * *

“Laxus, she’s fine,” Hisui watched her husband continue to pace, his nerves getting the better of him. “It’s just a cold. Besides, she’s only two and in the course of a day you and I have both seen her try to put the strangest things in her mouth. She’ll get better soon, and it’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” He replied, pausing when he heard the irritation in his voice. “It could be so much worse than that, ‘Sui. I’m terrified and I want her to see the doctor soon.”

Hisui stared at him for a few seconds and then sighed. “Alright,” She agreed. “But try to relax. She’s okay. Lacey has never had any problems before, and --”

“That’s how it was for me,” Laxus looked over to where their baby girl was sleeping, her arms tightly around her bunny plushie, sniffling every so often in her sleep. “It got a lot worse very fast.”

Hisui pulled the last pin out of her hair, turning so she wouldn’t have to watch him through the mirror.

“You know that’s not likely,” She finally said, though her brow knitted in concern when she glanced towards their daughter. “Even Makarov has said so every time it has come up.”

Laxus sighed. “I know that,” He said, lowering his voice, afraid he’d wake Lacey up. “But I can’t help it. The last thing I want is for her to go through what I did. Hell, I missed most of the first few years of elementary school because Gramps was worried I’d get too sick or exposed to something. Until…”

Hisui stood up and slowly came over to him, lightly reaching out and embracing him. He pulled her close against him, his hands brushing through her hair.

“It’s sweet that you worry about her so much,” Hisui softly told him, looking up to meet his eyes. “But don’t upset yourself about it. She’s going to be just fine, and so is the baby. Okay?”

Laxus kissed her forehead, brushing tears away from his eyes. “I’m sorry, ‘Sui,” He finally said. “I shouldn’t overreact.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” She looked at him for a minute before going on. “I only meant that I don’t want you to blame yourself. You’ve never done anything to her, and I know you never would. Alright? I know how much you love her and the baby. Honestly, you’re probably a better parent than I am. Half the time it seems like I’m a terrible mother to her….especially when I’ve had to travel alone. At the very least….you spend more time with her. I know this is coming from fear of her getting hurt and I feel it too, but this….it’s not as bad as you think. And, even if it does eventually become that way, we can handle it.”

Laxus managed to smile a little. “You shouldn’t say you’re a bad mother, Hisui,” He gave her a pointed look. “I mean that. If I’m not allowed to be paranoid about everything, then you can’t say you’re a bad mother.”

Hisui sighed. “Did you hear anything else I said?”

“I did, and you’re probably right,” Laxus lowered one hand to cradle her baby bump. “But I also know how damn much you love our little boy and I heard what your father had said last night about how Lacey kept wanting to see you. She absolutely adores you, and I will not hear anything but that.”

Hisui laughed. “I’m glad you’re feeling a little better.”

“You tend to have that effect on me,” He said, stealing a kiss. “I’ll feel better after we know there’s nothing wrong with her...but you have no idea how much you help me.”

Hisui loosely wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes.

“Never,” She said. “Say that -- or anything along those lines -- in front of my father.”

Laxus grimaced. “Toma gives me enough lectures as it is.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Hisui giggled. “It’s just a reminder, honey.”

“I very much appreciate that,” Laxus replied with a faint smirk. “Frankly, I think he would be absolutely appalled if he knew half the things we’ve done when I’ve managed to...sneak you away from balls.”

Hisui blushed. “Laxus!”

“Well?” He grinned. “I’m pretty sure that’s how we’re having this little one in the spring.”

Hisui groaned, burying her face in his chest. “Please don’t ever say anything like that again,” She mumbled.

“Shh,” Laxus cupped her cheek, still smiling. “It’s okay, ‘Sui. That’s always going to be our little secret.”

* * *

“Looking into her background has really been quite fascinating,” Siegrain remarked, setting down several piles of papers and photographs in front of Cana, whose eyebrows immediately shot up in surprise. “I will say that I wasn’t expecting there to be much information on her. She had struck me as….more of the off the grid type.”

Cana’s gaze almost immediately fell on the photographs. In a few of them, she recognised her mother. A lump started to form in her throat, and she took in a deep breath before starting to look through some of the others.

“You said you were able to convince Toma to help?” Cana smiled when he nodded. “Sweet of you to pull those strings.”

Siegrain looked vaguely amused. “He had Gajeel and Levy help quite a bit,” He told her. “I doubt even he has the time to compile this much information on his own, even over the span of a month or so.”

Cana considered that. “True,” She said, taking a sip from her flask. “On the other hand, I’ve seen some of the things he does during the Grand Magic Games. According to Mest, it’s caused you guys a lot of headaches in just the last two years alone.”

“Toma let my wife and Hisui and a friend of theirs set off brightly coloured fireworks, some of which apparently leaked into the water supply and turned it pink for a month,” He tried not to laugh at the memory. “It’s a good thing no one ‘technically’ ever found out who was responsible….and that Natsu was more than happy to claim responsibility for it.”

Cana laughed. “I’m still shocked he wasn’t involved.”

“My wife taught our six year old how to play with firecrackers just this year,” Siegrain told her, his thoughts meandering again. He fell silent for a while -- he wasn’t quite sure how long -- and he glanced towards his communications lacrima. No new messages. If something were wrong, he was certain, Belno would have said something. “Regardless,” He tried to focus on the photographs and piles of documents on Cornelia rather than his wife. “There’s quite a lot of...interesting things in there. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure what all of it is because there truly is that much.”

“I just can’t get past how weird she acted,” Cana stared at one of the more recent photographs, resting her forehead against the palm of her hand. “During the trial….even afterwards when I spoke to her in prison she was acting strange. It was almost as if she didn’t care, that she --”

Cana cut herself off upon the doors to Siegrain’s office opening and she smiled when she saw it was her husband. Mest smiled too, when he saw her, and then sent Siegrain a decidedly amused look while he walked over to join her.

“Usually, when this door is closed and there’s a woman in here, that woman is your wife and she usually leaves looking far too pleased with herself and a bit hassled,” Mest smirked. “What are you two talking about? I imagine it’s very different from whatever you and Jade do in here.”

Siegrain frowned. “Could we please not talk about my wife?” He struggled to hide the strain in his voice, causing both Mest and Cana to look at him in surprise. “And, to answer your question, Mest, I was merely showing her information I was able to procure on her aunt. There’s more of it than I expected, and I thought it’d be easier if we could discuss it.”

Mest glanced to the photograph of Cornelia that his wife had been looking at. His gaze darkened. Everything about that woman was wrong, and, so far as he was concerned, she had no right to be related to Cana or claim to be her aunt, blood or not.

“That bitch is crazy,” He muttered. “To hell with her.”

“I don’t disagree,” Cana paused and then shrugged. “I just thought it’d be interesting to know more about her. If she’s willing to work with a creep like Ivan, she’s probably worth knowing about, right?”

Mest hesitated. “Sure,” He tentatively agreed.

“It’s rather fascinating, from a purely psychological standpoint,” Siegrain mildly remarked. “Understanding why she acts as madly as she does has certainly shed some light on how she got involved with Ivan.”

“It’s insane,” Cana added. “But maybe that’s for the best….I guess, maybe, the fact I think she’s crazy proves I’m not.”

Mest sighed but eventually nodded. “Fair enough,” He said. “And, besides. I don’t blame you for being curious….fucked up as everything surrounding her is.”


	23. Not On Top Of The World

"I cannot believe Siegrain got his hands on this much information," Mest chuckled softly to himself while he looked over the documents spread all over his and Cana's apartment. "It's almost unbelievable."

Cana passed him a beer. “Come on, Mest,” She joked. “You’ve been getting all sorts of information via the council for ages. I’m pretty sure you know it’s not unbelievable.”

Mest raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his beer. “You know things you shouldn’t,” He winked. “I’m glad you know how to keep my secrets.”

Cana grinned. “Hey, you and I are in cahoots. If you want, we can start a set of schemes and make off like bandits. Want to wreck some boats in ‘accidents’ for insurance money with me?”

“Don’t tempt me,” Mest jokingly replied. “Some days, that idea is more appealing than you know.”

Cana pouted. “Are you sure we can’t run away together and make a fortune?”

Mest started laughing. “Cana!” He exclaimed. “I know you’re kidding, but you’re very close to convincing me to do that.”

“Mission accomplished,” She playfully swatted at his arm. “You know the worst I’ll ask you to do is help me cause a bit of mayhem for the little princess to enjoy during the Games.”

“Laxus and Hisui will kill me,” Mest paused for a few seconds in consideration. “Although, now that I think about it, I’m sure that would mostly entail him yelling at me while she laughs about the situation. That’s what happened when the Salamander did all of that damage a few years ago.”

“When doesn’t Natsu do shit tons of damage?” Cana teased, starting on her own beer. “He’s famous for it. I bet Erza is embarrassed every time he gets into trouble with Lucy and Gray now that she can’t keep as close an eye on him.”

“Don’t tell her I told you, but she looks completely exasperated every single time Fairy Tail is brought up during Council meetings,” Mest laughed and clinked his beer bottle against his wife’s. “At this point, I’m pretty sure Evergreen is keeping a running tally. She claims she’s waiting to see Erza snap, find Natsu, and make him and Gray sit in a room tied together for twenty four hours.”

“Please!” Cana exclaimed. “I have to see that!”

“I do too,” Mest winked. “Don’t let on that I said that either. Erza already won’t let anything go. She’s still mad at Siegrain for denying he had been late because of Jade last year even though he later admitted he had one of her pearl necklaces with him.”

“He just doesn’t want to admit how much he wants to be alone with her,” Cana nudged her husband with a smirk. “Good thing is that you don’t have to worry about that. You and I go off the grid for days all the time only to reappear with a bunch of --”

“Hush,” Mest lightly pressed a finger against her lips. “No one needs to know about all of the mayhem we’ve been involved in, and they certainly don’t need to know about what happened last year at that mid-Spring party.”

Cana shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t that bad,” She mused. “We weren’t the only ones drinking, partying in the streets, and pelting people with plastic beads.”

“Yes, but if everyone else on the Council finds out about that, we will never live it down,” Mest countered. “I can already hear Evergreen being far too casual about slipping references to it into conversation.”

Cana raised an eyebrow. “I can see that.”

Mest kissed her cheek. “We had plenty of fun, though,” His breath tickled her neck while he began to nibble there. “I bet we could have more fun. You want to go out next weekend?”

Cana chuckled. “Dangerous for you to suggest,” She smirked, cupping his face in her hands. “Especially because my father said he wants us to spend time with him this weekend.”

Mest groaned, leaning back against the couch while she kept laughing.

“Great!” He exclaimed. “Gildarts is going to kill me! Honestly, I’m just glad you’re giving me a warning!”

Cana stretched her arms out. “Yep!” She declared. “But, come on. I’m sure it won’t be too bad. Just don’t say anything that he’ll think is suspicious!”

Mest glanced to her. “So don’t say anything about the partying,” He said, nodding warily. “Got it.”

Cana ruffled his hair with a smirk. “See?” She said. “That’s the spirit!”

* * *

“I brought some of my investigators, who helped me get the information on Madame Norwich,” Ultear tossed a bag with quite a bit of money in it across the table. “Willow and Carlene Winters. The two of them are masters in investigation. I’ve worked with them for years.”

Alexander raised his eyebrows, looking over at Wendy and Chelia (who were also in heavy cloaks) through lidded eyes. “Okay,” He said gruffly. “You gave me more than I needed. What do you want to know before I track down Ivan for the three of you?”

“Just the basics,” Wendy said, lowering the inflexions of her voice. “What exactly is his….issue with the royal family of Fiore?”

Alexander scoffed. “You mean it’s not obvious?” He snorted. “Ivan’s issue with them is precisely that his son married into that family. He absolutely despises Laxus, probably because of how unlike him he is and how similar he has become to his mother. Of course, I hadn’t expected that bitch to survive. I thought I had killed her.”

“By the sound of it,” Ultear said mildly, looking rather bored. “You nearly succeeded. She should count herself as quite lucky that she survived that ordeal.”

In the back of her mind, Ultear felt something darker stirring within her. She all but crammed it back down, her chest hurting at the thought. She was not the same woman she had been in X784. She couldn’t be. No, she was only playing a role here. A means to an end.

“She was,” Alexander irritably took a swig of whiskey. “She may be quite powerful as a mage -- you have to be in order to secure such a high position on the Magic Council -- but she has always been a fool. Do you not recall what happened when her son in law made the grave mistake of using Etherion against the Tower of Heaven?”

Ultear laughed bitterly. “Oh, yes,” She said, reminding herself to remind both Siegrain and Jellal of that particular incident as soon as she could have the two brothers in the same room together upon her return to Fiore. “It was quite the scandal.”

“Belno Mary Norwich is lucky to this day to be alive, but coming back, like I said, was a fool’s errand,” He rolled his eyes. “Still can’t believe she had started off as an indentured servant. If it weren’t for her becoming friends with Heather Nuvelle -- shortly before she had married Toma, mind you -- I reckon she’d still be in a weak position. Toma’s dead wife and Ivan are the only reason that woman was ever able to climb up from where she had been. Laxus, too. He would be nothing without his father and now he’s the king of Fiore. Seems to me like he married Hisui to spite Ivan.”

Chelia reached for Wendy’s hand under the table and held it tightly.

“They seem to adore each other quite a bit,” Chelia nervously said. “He’s rather protective of her, even publicly. And they’re the king and queen of Fiore.”

Alexander shrugged. “I don’t doubt that they love each other,” He said. “I just think he’s a little too willing to use that power against his own father.”

“Well, regardless,” Ultear kicked Chelia and Wendy harshly, careful to do so without Alexander being able to notice. “We aren’t interested in Laxus and Hisui. We’re interested in….securing a deal of sorts with Ivan. Can you make that happen?”

“I already said I’m going to,” Alexander cast her a dirty look. “What else do you want from me? I ain’t signing anything. Everything that ain’t spoken can be traced.”

Ultear nodded. “Oh, that’s very true,” She said, tapping her fingers against the table. “I completely understand your apprehension.”

Alexander snorted. “That’s a damn good thing for you, then.’

“I’m not new to syndicates,” Ultear’s eyes flashed dangerously, almost too briefly for him to notice. “Believe me when I say that I know what I’m doing.”

Alexander bristled. “Believe me,” He said, steely meeting her gaze and Wendy and Chelia’s. “I do not doubt that.”

* * *

_ “I’m not standing still, Toma,” Belno had sighed, looking tiredly to her friend, who was nervously waiting for his wife to return with their newborn son. “I’m lying in wait. It’s best for my son.” _

_ “You’ve said yourself that he abuses you, Bella,” Toma had shaken his head. “Wouldn’t it be better for you and your son to be separated from him?” _

_ “Perhaps at another time,” She had said. “But not right now. It’s not perfect, but he needs both his parents. What would happen to your son if your wife left?” _

_ Toma had fallen silent, briefly, in consideration. “I don’t know,” He had admitted. “But I do worry about you. Heather does as well.” _

_ “I know,” Belno had glanced out the window. Rain was starting to fall heavily outside. “Ivan faces….an endless uphill climb, it seems, at least with most things and certainly in the guild. He feels that he has quite a bit to prove while also believing he has nothing to lose. Of course he’s going to be relentless.” _

_ “Relentless is different from ruthless, though,” Toma had lightly countered. “You are relentless. Ivan is ruthless. There is a difference. Ivan never hesitates to take whatever it is he wants and, from what I’ve seen, he has absolutely no restraint. I don’t know how he keeps succeeding the way you do, even if your rise, especially in the work you do for the Magic Council, has been slow. So few people survive going on the way he does. And...oh, Bella, that bruise on your cheek --” _

_ “He’s not perfect,” She had nervously reached up to cover the spot. “I never said he was. But this really isn’t about him. I’m willing to wait for it to change. For now, our son is better off having us both.” _

The sound of voices rising drew Belno away from her thoughts. For just a few seconds, she paused to listen. The voices of her daughter and son in law began to quiet down and she could hear her granddaughter babbling incoherently down the hall. She was probably with them. Struggling to continue paying attention to the book she had been reading, she marked her page and set it on the coffee table, slowly heading towards the stairs. She paused upon seeing the time, briefly startled:  _ 1:23 AM _ . Lana Marie must have had a nightmare and woken up her parents, if they had been asleep in the first place. Given how much more Jade had been sleeping lately, though, Belno suspected her daughter had probably been asleep. Siegrain usually was with her too, unless he were up late. Belno still couldn’t believe how much sleep he had been losing out of concern for Jade, and she was well aware that she and him had stayed up late talking about Jade several times in just the last week alone.

“...I was scared,” Lana Marie whimpered. “...The dragons tried to hurt me.”

Siegrain began to respond but went silent when he saw his mother in law. He briefly looked at Jade and reached over towards her, waving his mother in law in with the other.

“It’s alright, Lanie,” Jade wasn’t wearing her glasses and her silk shirt was a bit shifted, as were her silk pants. She pulled her daughter close to her, almost as if she were afraid she was going to lose her. “I’m afraid of dragons too.”

Siegrain sighed and gave her a gentle look. “It’s okay,  _ cariad _ ,” He whispered. “That was years ago.”

“Not long enough,” Belno glanced between him, her daughter, and granddaughter. “Is everything alright?”

“It will be,” Jade said, though she sounded unsure. If anything, at least based on the way she helped Lana Marie curl up on one side of the bed, her and Siegrain on the other, she seemed to want to alleviate her baby girl’s fears. “Rest now, Lanie. Remember, you and I have to go out tomorrow to get gowns for the ball.”

Lana Marie perked up. “Any dress?”

Jade smiled and tapped her nose. “Of course.”

“Sleep, now, though,” Belno offered her granddaughter a small smile. “I’d like to see you in that dress tomorrow evening.”

Lana Marie began to nod excitedly but half-fell back, yawning. “Okay,” The little girl mumbled.

“See,” Siegrain murmured, tucking a strand of his wife’s amethyst hair behind her ear. “Everything’s alright, Jade.”

She all but buried herself against him. “I hope so,” She whispered.

“It will be,” Her mother put in. “After all of this time, I would say we’ve all more than earned at least that.”


End file.
